The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Announced Wednesday, the Pakistan Accord marks a new milestone for the International Accord, a legally binding commitment from brands to ensure worker safety in garment factories that had previously not expanded beyond Bangladesh.
The Accord, also known as the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, first launched in Bangladesh in the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in 2013, which killed more than 1,000 people and remains the deadliest garment industry disaster to date.
In August 2021, brands and unions agreed on an eleventh-hour deal to extend the Accord’s legally binding mechanism and open the door to possible international expansion to other garment-producing hubs. Voluntary commitments where brands are held liable for safety violations in their supply chains remain a rarity in the fashion industry.
Brands producing textiles and garments in Pakistan can sign the Accord from Jan. 16.
Learn more:
Bangladesh Accord Expanded in Eleventh-Hour Deal
The landmark safety initiative put in place after the collapse of the Rana Plaza was due to expire within a week.
The brand’s hyperrealistic (but fake) animal heads sparked outrage this week, highlighting the increasingly delicate balance brands must strike between provocative marketing and shifting consumer values.
Shifting weather patterns are making shopping behaviour harder to predict, adding to inventory management challenges for brands and retailers.
The company faced questions about how rabbit felt, which is made from the animal’s hairs, fit with its no-fur policy.
This week, a spoof press release claimed Adidas had appointed a co-CEO to address rights violations in its supply chain, a sign of more disruptive and confrontational tactics from advocacy groups focused on the industry.