The International Accord on Factory Safety has reached its highest-ever number of signatory brands, with 300 companies now committed to the legally binding agreement designed to protect garment workers from preventable workplace hazards including fires, building collapses, and other safety failures.
The 300 signatories collectively source garments worth approximately $26 billion from Bangladesh and Pakistan, spanning more than 2,000 factories that employ over 3.4 million workers. This milestone marks the broadest industry participation the Accord has seen since its founding.
A Renewed and Reinforced Commitment to Worker Safety
The International Accord was renewed in 2023 for a further three-year term, with provisions for automatic renewal for an additional three years — making it the longest commitment in the Accord’s history. The Accord functions as a legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions, with the primary objective of ensuring that garment factories maintain conditions where workers are not exposed to the threat of fires, structural collapse, or other accidents that can be addressed through proper health and safety measures.
Joris Oldenziel, Executive Director at the International Accord, commented on the record signatory count: “This is the highest number of brands that we have to date. This represents a very strong commitment to workplace health and safety to ensure that workers who are producing your clothes can work in safe factories.”
Oldenziel elaborated on the scope of the program’s operations: “Under the Accord, we implement the program at 2,000 factories covering 3.4 million workers in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. We do that through safety inspections, monitoring remediation, worker training and providing access to remedy.”
Concrete Progress on the Ground
Oldenziel acknowledged the tangible steps that have been taken in recent years by brands and their suppliers to identify, prevent, and reduce safety risks across factory floors. Among the improvements cited, thousands of fire doors have been installed, fire alarm systems have been put in place, building structures have been reinforced, and safety committees have been trained across participating facilities.
These advances represent the practical implementation of the International Accord’s workplace health and safety framework and reflect the collaborative effort between brands and their supply chain partners in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Ongoing Challenges Underscore the Need for Continued Commitment
Despite measurable progress, Oldenziel was clear that the work is far from complete. “At the same time, we do see there are still reports of accidents and fires happening on a regular basis in garment factories. Therefore, the continued commitment from the brands to the Accord is as important now as it was a decade ago — for the workers themselves, of course, but also for the brands to fulfil their human rights due diligence responsibilities.”
The urgency of this continued engagement was brought into sharp focus last year when at least 16 people were killed following a fire at a garment factory in Dhaka. The International Accord described the incident as a “stark reminder of the devastating human cost of inadequate safety measures.” The tragedy reinforced why human rights due diligence obligations remain central to the Accord’s mandate and why sustained brand participation in the framework is critical.
The record 300 International Accord brands now collectively represent the strongest industry-wide commitment to garment factory safety across Bangladesh and Pakistan to date, anchoring both the moral and legal imperative to protect millions of workers in global supply chains.
