BESTSELLER joins leading fashion brands in signing the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry in Pakistan and Bangladesh for six more years, making it the longest term yet.

The renewed International Accord agreement is a legally binding agreement that promotes and supports the development of safer workplaces in the textile and garment industry in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Recent negotiations between BESTSELLER and other representatives of global brands and trade union signatories to the International Accord have resulted in a new framework agreement. This agreement reaffirms our commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of the people working in our supply chain.

“As a member of the International Accord's steering committee, we’re proud of the work done with our key partners at IndustriAll Global Union and UNI Global Union, in developing this new agreement. We encourage all garment and textile companies to sign this agreement and join our collective goal of a safe and sustainable textile and garment industry,” says Felicity Tapsell, Head of Responsible Sourcing.

Ten years of progress

BESTSELLER has been a signatory since the inception of the International Accord, as we believe that multistakeholder collaboration – based on the specific situation of individual countries – is the best approach to secure occupational health and safety for all textile workers.

Under the Accord agreement for the past ten years, 56,000 factory assessments have been conducted, and 140,000 health and safety issues corrected across 2,400 factories.

Over two million workers have been trained on health and safety, and all workers in Accord-covered factories have access to a hotline to anonymously raise health and safety concerns. 

Read The International Accord, Bangladesh Safety Program and Pakistan Accord Agreements here: https://internationalaccord.org/read-the-international-accord-bangladesh-safety-program-and-pakistan-accord-agreements/

BESTSELLER signed the Accord to ensure that factories in Bangladesh are subject to regular inspections from engineers and that all concerns are remediated.

BESTSELLER signed the Accord Transition agreement to update and extend the commitments of the original agreement, preparing to hand over ownership of implementation to the local RMG Sustainability Council (RSC).

BESTSELLER signed up to the new International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. The agreement continued the legally binding commitments to ensure that factories in Bangladesh are subject to regular inspections from engineers and that all concerns are remediated.

BESTSELLER signed the Pakistan Accord, agreeing to a country-specific safety programme with the support of the International Labour Organisation.
  • The International Accord is currently signed by 195 global brands and retailers, and the two global trade unions IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union.
  • RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) has carried forward Accord operations in Bangladesh since June 2020.