Running out of Thread: Securing Bangladeshi ready-made garment factory safety given the looming cut-off for the Accord and the Alliance

In response to the tragic Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013, Western clothing brands launched initiatives to inspect their Bangladeshi ready-made garment (RMG) supplier factories and remediate violations of global electrical, fire, and structural standards. The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (Accord) and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (Alliance) are scheduled to end in June, 2018. While significant progress has been made in the remediation of electrical and fire deficiencies, inspection data from the Accord show that about half of identified structural problems remain unsolved, including a large portion of structural repairs over two years past their deadlines. As brands have taken temporary responsibility for safety in much of the sector, this report considers policy options available to them given the near-impossibility that complete remediation will occur by the initiatives’ deadline. Recommendations for decreasing the risk of death or injury borne by Bangladeshi RMG workers are provided.