Sixty-five readymade garment factories in Bangladesh have completed corrective measures recommended by the two platforms of western buyers and retailers. Thirty of these factories come under the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a platform of European retailers and buyers. Forty-one factories come under the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of North American buyers and retailers.

The total number of these factories is 71 but six of them are common on the lists of Accord and Alliance. These readymade garment factories received a letter of recognition from the buyer groups. Alliance expects all factories to sustain their commitment to safety through ongoing efforts to maintain the investments already made. Accord will do follow-up inspections at the factories which successfully completed remediation. These might identify new safety findings that would also require remediation.

Following the Rana Plaza building collapse, North American retailers and EU buyers undertook a five-year plan which set timelines for inspections and training and workers’ empowerment programs in Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector.

Alliance has so far conducted initial inspections at 759 factories while Accord inspected 1,600 factories. Due to failure to make required progress in remediation, Alliance so far has cut business relations with 104 supplier factories and Accord has terminated business ties with 41 factories.