In the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh in April 2013, two major initiatives were launched by major apparel brands, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the Accord) and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (the Alliance), to establish mechanisms to prevent fire and safety hazards. A recent report by the Institute of Developing Economies, the largest industry in Bangladesh is ready-made garments (RMG), which comprises nearly 50 per cent of the nation’s economy.

Tragedies trigger safety measures

As there’s a high population density and paucity of land, garment factories are usually built one upon the other and in some cases, in former swamp areas. Thus, while many factory owners share the same building, structural weaknesses tend to be ignored. This was the backdrop of the Rana Plaza disaster, which had five workshops and 2,000 workers.

Rana Plaza was not the only incident to take place due to the fire and safety hazards. A fire in Tazreen Fashions killed 112 workers in November 2012 and in a response, the Ministry of Labour and Employment of Bangladesh, in a joint effort with the International Labor Organization (ILO), coordinated the adoption of National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity in the RMG sector in Bangladesh. This was signed by the government, employers and workers. The Plan was in place even before the Rana Plaza collapse. However, the international community kept questioning fashion brands’ responsibility in the collapse, though brands did not directly own the supplier factories. Media reports and calls for accountability made brands take action and the Accord was launched on May 15, 2013 and the Alliance on July 10, 2013.

The two plans, similarities and differences Both the Accord and the Alliance are based on the National Tripartite Plan and share the same goal of preventing fires and building safety hazards in Bangladesh. However, there are some marked differences between the two. The Accord has over 260 members and includes many top European companies. It is often referred to as a ‘European’ initiative. While, the Alliance consists of 26 North American brands and companies.

A legally binding agreement, the Accord is signed by trade unions and NGOs. Most signatories are from Europe, some from North America and Asia. Four global labour unions and six Bangladeshi labour unions are a part of the Accord, and four international NGOs act as witnesses. Signatory companies commit to the Accord’s activity and obligations for its full tenure. Each company commits to maintaining long-term sourcing relationships with its main suppliers, conditioned upon the supplier’s compliance with fire and building safety measures.