Only around 27.25 per cent out of 1,700 apparel manufacturing units have installed fire detection and alarm system until April 2023 even as safety concerns still continue in garment units inspected by the then western retailers’ platform Accord.
Media reports state that these are just a few of the issues raised in the RMG Sustainability Council’s (RSC) recent progress report.
The RSC report states that over 80% of safety issues have been corrected in the past decade by apparel manufacturers, even though only 22.40% have installed the fire suppression systems.
Accord was formed by global unions, over 200 EU-based clothing buyers and the Bangladesh government in the aftermath of Rana Plaza in 2013. The platform was established to ensure the structural, electrical, fire and other integrity of Bangladesh’s garment factories.