When we buy an item of clothing it is not uncommon to pay attention to the label. Among the various information, we try to understand where the famous one was produced made in. Many of us do it for quality reasons and it is no secret that what is produced in Italy, for example, is often synonymous with accuracy and craftsmanship. However, in a society that claims to be more sustainable there is also another awareness to develop. Yes, because not all countries have a regulated labor market which, above all, protects health and health worker safetythe. So it can happen that the cost of a t-shirt that we buy for a few euros is actually paid by people who work in conditions bordering on inhumanity on the other side of the world.
In this regard, it is significant that today, 1 September 2021, an international agreement will become operational, involving some of the largest companies in the fashion sector. Is called “International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment IndustryAnd is addressed (for now) to Bangladeshi workers. It replaces, extending it over time and in purpose, the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh”, born in 2013 following the collapse of Frog square, in which 1,100 people lost their lives in a single day, that is almost as much as the total of white deaths in Italy in the whole of 2020 (1270 according to Inail data, an increase compared to the previous year by 17%).
In addition to this disaster, it is also important to remember that this Asian country is one of the main producers of clothing that we later find in the stores of the most famous brands; for years it was the second after China, while in 2020, thanks to the pandemic, it was overtaken by Vietnam.
Already in the first document, sometimes called succinctly Bangladesh Accord, a formal (and – fundamental – legally binding) commitment was envisaged by 200 fashion companies, including some giants such as PVH and Primark, to ensure minimum levels of safety in the factories located in the Asian country. A commitment that took the form of, among other things, inspections carried out by independent bodies, training on health and safety issues and the implementation of dedicated measures.
In essence, therefore, either the companies that have signed it undertake to enforce acceptable safety standards also to their suppliers or they may incur legal consequences. It seems obvious, but before 2013 it did not happen: the Bangladesh Accord in these respects represented a milestone in a sense. And the results, according to the international news agency Reuters, were not long in coming: about 1600 plants have become safer for about 2 million Bengali workers.
The new agreement, which will remain in force for 26 months, among other innovations commits the brands that sign it to extend the same measures to at least one other country besides Bangladesh over the next two years. According to reports from the New York Times, the first signatories of this new document were H&M and Inditex, holding company of well-known brands such as Zara e Bershka.
(Photo: unsplash.com).
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