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.
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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.
After the SAC’s Higg Index became a central focus for greenwashing allegations, the trade group commissioned an independent review. Its recommendations include scrapping a stand-alone materials assessment and more work to improve the data.
Soaring luxury goods prices have boosted turnover at companies like LVMH and Kering, helping them to report reductions in their ‘emissions intensity’ — the volume of planet-warming gases released relative to revenue.
This week, New York played host to one of the world’s largest climate confabs, but there was little visible presence from fashion’s biggest companies. If the industry doesn’t pull up a seat at the table, it risks getting left behind.
The Chinese company hopes to alleviate its environmental impact through programmes like EvoluShein, which focuses on producing garments out of recycled polyester and reducing waste from unsold clothes.