Pakistan Safety Accord

Pakistan Safety Accord

As is the case throughout South Asia, many apparel factories in Pakistan are in multistory buildings, making any fire safety or structural deficiencies especially dangerous. Indeed, the worst fire in the history of the global garment industry happened on September 11, 2012, at the Ali Enterprises factory in Karachi, Pakistan, with 262 workers killed.

Safety deficiencies are known to be common in Pakistan’s textile and apparel factories—a systemic problem that cannot be addressed by any one brand or retailer. This is the same situation we saw years ago in Bangladesh, where it took a binding agreement involving more than 200 brands, and a massive program of renovation and repair, to achieve the vast safety improvements that were needed.

That proven approach is now being expanded to Pakistan. In December 2022, apparel brands and worker organizations reached agreement to create a safety program in Pakistan, modeled on the Bangladesh Accord. The program will be a powerful vehicle to address fire and structural hazards in factories across Pakistan.

The Pakistan Accord is a country program of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. To bring their factories into the Pakistan program, International Accord signatory companies also need to sign the Pakistan country agreement. More than 120 companies have signed the Pakistan Accord, covering over 500 factories employing nearly a million workers. Please visit here to access the up-to-date list of signatories.