H&M Continues Proactive Work with Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh

Before signing the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety in May 2013, we had worked pro-actively with these important issues for many years with the independent suppliers that we sourcefrom. By now more than 190 international brands buying from the Bangladeshi textile industry have signed the Accord to work together with the International Labor Organization (ILO), the global union IndustriALL and UNI Global as well as trade unions in Bangladesh. The goal is to  improve and secure the safety of the workers in the garment industry in Bangladesh in a long-term sustainable way.

The Rana Plaza collapse happened due to the infrastructural problems in Bangladesh and is not an issue specifically related to the textile industry. Therefore, many different stakeholders need to work together in order to find long lasting improvements. H&M is continuously looking into how we, together with a joint force, can work for a better fire and building safety in the country.

Earlier this year, the H&M Conscious Foundation made a second donation to the victims and the families affected by the tragic Rana Plaza collapse. As H&M never had any production at any of the factories situated in Rana Plaza, the H&M Conscious Foundation based the decision for donation on humanitarian grounds. The donation of USD 100,000 went exclusively to further support the victims and their families through the fund managed by the UN body ILO.