The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, an alliance of major buyers of the European Union (EU) including fashion retailers like Inditex and H&M, while seeking enhanced security for foreign buyers reportedly underlined that European brands would continue sourcing readymade garments (RMG) from the country despite the recent terror attacks.
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A delegation of the Accord led by its Executive Director Rob Wayss reiterated the commitment at a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan which was also attended by representatives of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), in Dhaka recently. The Home Minister on his part reportedly assured Accord that his Government has already taken initiatives to ensure beefed-up security for the foreigners, especially overseas apparel buyers.
Earlier in an interview with a foreign news agency, Rob reportedly underlined that much progress had been made with 65 per cent of the safety issues identified at around 1,600 factories already resolved. “There is no other country where the work that the Accord is doing is taking place and where buyers can have the assurances on safety compliance issues that they can have here,” he told Reuters, adding, “For many of the brands, Bangladesh is a very important and good supplier base and … It is still their plan to increase the amount and types of production that they have here.”
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A separate group of mostly North American brands and retailers including GAP and Walmart – Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety – too maintained that it is also committed to Bangladesh.
