The safety of workers making clothing for global brands like Adidas and H&M could be at risk if Bangladesh's Supreme Court moves orders a factory inspection mechanism set up by European fashion labels to shut down. The government has shown a shocking level of unreadiness to take over from the Bangladesh Accord — signed by about 200 major brands and unions after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster — including Clean Clothes Campaign.
Bangladesh, the world's second-largest garment producer, is capable of monitoring the country's thousands of factories through its Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC), which is currently responsible for the safety of 745 factories.
Worker safety has come under scrutiny in Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza factory collapsed, killing about 1,100 people, and putting big brands under pressure to ensure their products are responsibly sourced.
The Supreme Court is considering an appeal by the Accord against a ruling last year which ordered it to shut down, following a petition by a factory owner who was prevented from working with Accord brands and accused of false test results. None of 745 factories under the government's RCC inspectors has eliminated high-risk hazards — such as lockable exits that could trap workers during a fire — identified at least three years ago.
The Clean Clothes Campaign report said that Accord had banned 114 critically unsafe factories from supplying its signatory buyers, but half of these facilities remain open under the government's inspection program.
