Pressemeldungen - Unternehmensverantwortung & Lieferkettengesetz

FEMNET welcomes the new binding agreement on workers' safety

On 25 August 2021, clothing companies and trade unions announced their agreement on a new international agreement on health and safety in the textile and clothing industry. This extends and expands the previous Accord for the Protection of Seamstresses.

We welcome the new International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, which maintains the essential elements of the groundbreaking model of the former Bangladesh Accord:

  • the legally binding enforceability of the obligations of the trademarks,
  • independent monitoring of compliance with these obligations;
  • the obligation to pay suppliers sufficient prices to support secure jobs;
  • and the obligation to stop doing business with factories that refuse to guarantee safety in the workplace.

A successful conclusion of the negotiations this summer will ensure that the far-reaching security improvements brought by the agreement in Bangladesh are maintained and extended.

This model, which has saved countless lives in Bangladesh, is now to be extended to other countries where the lives of workers continue to be at risk on a daily basis. Eight years after the introduction of the original agreement, the new international agreement is taking the important and overdue step of extending its scope beyond Bangladesh.

The new agreement hopes to ensure the continuation of the progress made in Bangladesh over the last eight years in the field of fire safety and building safety, as well as the extension of the programme beyond Bangladesh, through the work of the Accord Secretariat. This means that independent supervision remains in place, with the power to verify and enforce trade mark compliance. It is important that only brands willing to sign the new agreement can benefit from inspections and other services provided by the Bangladeshi authority RSC (RMG Sustainability Council). As a result, there is a level playing field for all brands that want to continue implementing security measures in Bangladesh with the RSC.

Gisela Burckhardt, FEMNET chairman and member of the German Clean Clothing Campaign, calls on all brands to sign the international agreement on health and safety in the textile and clothing industry. It is particularly important that the brands and retailers that did not join the original Accord sign this new agreement. These brands have knowingly risked the lives of workers in their contract factories; Their recklessness must end now. She stressed: “There is now also an opportunity to extend the agreement to other countries and other human rights aspects.”

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Contact:

Dr. Gisela Burckhardt ⁇ Chief Executive Officer FEMNET, ⁇ Clean Clothes Campaign
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ⁇ Mobile: +49 1520 177 40 80

Artemisa Ljarja ⁇ Coordinator of urgent actions ⁇ Clean clothes campaign,
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ⁇ Telephone: +49 178 823 30 79