Bangladesh is ready to take the safety maintenance of its factories and their workers in their own hands. So far the European fashion industry had the Accord on Fire and Building Safety set up to improve factory security in the nation.
Safety and labour rights are a great concern for consumers, more so since a garment factory in Bangladesh had collapsed in 2013, causing 1,100 deaths.
The country’s own Readymade Sustainability Council (RSC) will replace the Accord after European fashion brands who purchase ready-made garments in Bangladesh agreed to hand over the responsibility to the new local platform.
The RSC – set up by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) – is the first national initiative of its kind, bringing together industry, brands, and unions to provide a smooth transition in progressing the accomplishments made on workplace safety in Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment producer with around 4 million workers from 4,000 factories.
Rubana Huq, President of BGMEA, adds, “The RSC will also encompass industrial relations, skill development and environmental standards.”
