Life-Saving Work Will Continue in Pakistan

I am pleased to report that the Pakistan Safety Accord[1] is being renewed. The Accord’s program of safety inspection and renovation is eliminating deadly fire and building hazards in Pakistan’s garment factories, including dozens of facilities making university logo apparel.
 
As you know, the Accord is a written agreement through which brands commit to participate in the safety program. The original Pakistan agreement ran through 2025. Renewal allows the program’s life-saving work to continue.
 
Many WRC affiliate schools require licensees sourcing university goods from Pakistan to be signatories of the Pakistan Accord. More than 30 licensees signed the original agreement. To stay in compliance, and to continue to participate in the work of the Accord, licensees now need to sign the renewed agreement. The Accord wrote to all signatory brands, including all university licensees, before the holiday, inviting them to sign and urging them to do so by the end of this month.
 
Licensees’ continued participation will ensure that dangerous hazards in factories making university logo goods are addressed. There are more than 2,000 safety repairs and upgrades underway now across dozens of collegiate factories, which must be completed to eliminate hazards identified by the Accord’s safety engineers. This includes the renovation of deficient emergency exit systems, which could block workers’ escape in the event of a fire.

The WRC, which spearheaded the creation of the Accord, continues to serve on the International Accord steering committee, which governs the Accord’s work in both Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Accord program achieved a sweeping transformation of safety conditions across thousands of factories in Bangladesh and is advancing the same goal in Pakistan.

The text of the renewal agreement is here. For a discussion of the few elements of the text that have been modified, see here. Detailed information on the Pakistan Accord’s structure, operations, and obligations for signatories can be found here (pages 16-20).  And you can always contact the WRC for additional information.
 
We will update you concerning licensees’ decisions. If you have any questions, please let us know.

[1] Known formally as the Pakistan Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry