Swedish furniture giant IKEA and American music mogul Sean Combs’ clothing have not yet signed the new accord for the safety of factory workers. The new pact is a three-year extension of the Bangladesh Accord, a legally-binding agreement between global brands and trade unions drawn up after the Rana Plaza collapse. It established a fire and safety program for the country’s $28 billion a year textile industry, which employs about 4 million people.
Till now, 175 of the 220 companies in the original accord have signed, but high-profile brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, Combs’ Sean John apparel and Britain’s Edinburgh Woollen Mill have not signed as yet. Campaigners have urged them to do so, arguing that other schemes such as IWAY lack transparency because they do not make inspection findings and reports public.
Bangladesh, which ranks behind only China as a supplier of clothes to Western countries, relies on the garment industry for more than 80 percent of its exports.
