Spanish clothing retailer Mango has signed the Pakistan Accord, a country-specific, binding agreement for brands and retailers that emerged from the 2021 International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment and Textile Industry.
“At Mango, we strongly believe in the transformative power of collaboration, which is why we feel there is a need to join forces with other companies in the Pakistan Accord. We are pleased that this type of agreement is being extended to new countries, as this is an important step in our journey towards greater protection in textile and garment factories. As a company committed to our communities, we will continue to work to make a positive impact on our communities,” Mango CEO Toni Ruiz said in a press release.
Mango also notes that the company is a signatory to the 2013 Bangladesh Accord. This served as a template for the International Accord. “The success of the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement that Mango signed in 2013 has prompted the company to expand its commitment to another important textile and garment manufacturing country, Pakistan,” Mango said in the release.
General involvement in Pakistan Accord hesitant
The Pakistan Accord has been in place since the beginning of the year but signing has been slow – as of May 3rd only 54 brands and retailers have joined including Aldi, Bestseller, C&A, Carrefour, H&M, Inditex, Kik, Otto, Primark, Puma, PVH, Tchibo, Zalando and now Mango.
The question remains why a number of signatories of the International Accord have not taken the opportunity to also join the Pakistan Accord? These are companies such as Adidas, Benetton, Esprit, Pepe Jeans, Sainsbury’s and Takko, among others.
One reason could be that the companies don’t manufacture in Pakistan; but given the position of Pakistan as a sourcing country and the presence of big brands and retailers there, this is not likely.
Faced with this discrepancy, NGO Remake and the Clean Clothes Campaign have launched the #SignTheAccord campaign, demanding that twelve companies in particular that are central to success in the country sign the Accord. These are Amazon, Asda, Columbia Sportswear, Decathlon, Ikea, JCPenney, Kontoor Brands, Levi’s, Target, Tom Tailor, Urbn and Walmart.