Bangladesh now plays a vital role in the RMG supply chain and, as a result, has significantly contributed to GDP by being one of the world’s largest garment exporters, with the sector accounting for more than 84 per cent of Bangladesh’s total exports.
Today, we stand proud to know that the Bangladeshi RMG sector has come on leaps and bounds in terms of establishing a better safety record and that it recently earned more than $40 billion, read a press release on Wednesday.
The RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) along with its stakeholders is proud to be a part of the journey that the RMG sector embraced towards improving the working conditions - a key for sustainability in the globally competitive manufacturing market. Through the safety and remediation programme, the RSC has been able to create a culture of safety awareness in the ready-made garment industry.
Today, RSC has distributed Letters of Recognition (LOR) to 73 new RMG factories that have successfully completed all the non-compliances that were identified during the initial inspections.
International fashion brands are now very much aware of where they source from, and they always prioritize the suppliers that ensure safe workplaces for the workers. The LoR opens the door to new business opportunities which in turn boosts the country’s economy.
Abdul Haque, managing director of RSC said, “At the RSC we take a pragmatic, solutions-based approach, without compromise to safety and standards, to find solutions to outstanding issues. But the most important thing that drives us to play the role of catalyst is collaboration. The success of the RMG sector is the result of collaboration among all the stakeholders.”
RSC is a private national tripartite initiative to carry forward the significant accomplishments made in workplace safety in Bangladesh. The RSC was set up by three incorporating members representing each of the three constituents from Industry, Global Fashion Brands and Global and Local Trade Unions. On 1 June 2020, the RSC inherited the operations, staff, policies and infrastructure of the local Bangladesh Accord office.
RSC conducts safety inspections and training and operates an independent occupational safety & health complaints mechanism available to workers in covered RMG factories. Currently, RSC is covering 1913 factories, out of which 534 factories have completed all the initial safety findings. 73 factories from the list received their LoR certificates today.
George Faller, the chief safety officer of RSC said, “The RMG industry has invested major resources in creating a safe industry and is now promoting an awareness that continual efforts are needed to maintain those safety standards to ensure a more competitive business environment”.
Letter of Recognition is an important milestone in that journey. The advances made by this sector set the benchmark for safety in all other industries. The LoR is not a certification of safety but rather a recognition to factories that have addressed all the initial assessment findings and in doing so great strides towards ensuring safety at the workplace. Achieving the LoR indicates that the factory management has reached an important milestone in the journey towards ensuring safety which in turn makes the business more sustainable.
