Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced that it has signed the multi-stakeholder Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, coordinated by the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Krishan Hundal, Director of Sourcing at Marks & Spencer said: "We have a proven track record in Bangladesh, we believe our approach works and all our suppliers must adhere to our strict ethical standards as a condition of working with us. This includes regular fire, health and safety checks and we only source from single occupancy factories.
“But we also recognise the need for a safer garment industry in Bangladesh and have signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety. We will play our role alongside the ILO, other clothing brands and NGOs in developing it into an effective programme to deliver a better working environment across all 5,000 garment factories in Bangladesh."
M&S has sourced from Bangladesh for over 10 years and has a regional sourcing office in Dhaka, staffed by M&S employed technologists and regional compliance officers. 60 factories in the country supply M&S products.
In addition to Plan A programmes such as Marks & Start Bangladesh (which places people with disabilities in supplier factories) M&S works with UNICEF in Bangladesh on a project providing support for children living in urban slums, at each stage of their development, including education, sanitation, and social protection services and facilities.
