The Clean Clothes Campaign welcomes the monumental news that H&M and Inditex agreed to sign the legally binding, enforceable and transparent Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh with IndustriALL, UNI and Bangladeshi unions. CCC will sign the Accord as a witness.
Ineke Zeldenrust from the Clean Clothes Campaign says, ‘The Accord includes all of the components essential to be effective: independent safety inspections with public reports, mandatory repairs and renovations, the obligation by brands and retailers to underwrite the costs and to terminate business with any factory that refuses to make necessary safety upgrades, and a vital role for workers and their unions.
'At the heart of the agreement is the commitment by companies to pay for the renovations and repairs necessary to make factory buildings in Bangladesh safe’.
H&M and Inditex join co-signatories PvH and Tchibo, which were the first global brands to commit to a binding agreement on building and fire safety in Bangladesh. The leadership of PvH and Tchibo has been vital in pushing for reform in the industry.
Ineke Zeldenrust from the Clean Clothes Campaign says, ‘We now call upon all major brands sourcing from Bangladesh to prevent any more deaths and sign this agreement before the deadline of the 15th.
"With 1,250 workers killed in the last six months in Bangladesh, it is now time for companies to move beyond vague promises, business-as-usual self-regulatory schemes and rhetoric, and to sign a binding safety agreement that can finally bring an end to the horror in Bangladesh. More than one million global consumers have signed petitions calling brands to take action: All brands should now sign.'
