A legally binding agreement spans safety and improved working conditions in Pakistan’s factories.

It covers the textile and garment supply chains of brands sourcing in Pakistan. The accord will cover fabric and textile mills in Pakistan and also home textiles and accessories. The umbrella of health and safety includes excessive working hours which can impact workers’ health causing increased fatigue which in turn could cause a potential accident in the workplace. Other issues such as sexual harassment, gender-based violence and harassment are also covered by the Pakistan Accord.

However brands and retailers are tightening their budgets due to the state of the global economy and are less willing to invest funds to ensure their supply chains are safe.Many brands do not have direct relationships with fabric mills and so there is a need to analyse how that would work in terms of the leverage that the brands have as well as the application of protocols and procedures under the Accord.

The varying political landscape has made expanding the Accord a long and challenging process. In Pakistan the power lies within the provinces and not centrally with a national government, which means discussions are required with each provincial government, who hold the political power in their own respective province. So it is necessary to work with many different organisations.

The Pakistan Accord, also referred to as the Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, is set to go into action in the spring of this year.