Accord inspects over 800 factories

Accord, which comprises of leading European garment brands, have inspected over 800 factories till June this year and hope to scrutinise all the 1500 from which they source ready-made garments by September.

The Alliance annual report published on July 23, which reveals the job done and sets the target, also says it is short of funds to complete inspection of 1500 factories.

So it has urged members to increase their contribution for the second year with the option of cutting back in subsequent years.

In the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse that killed over a thousand garment factory workers, European clothing brands signed the 5-year Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, better known as the Accord.

The Accord has contracted four globally renowned international inspection companies to assess the 1500 factories this year.

So far they have inspected over 800.Accord also works out a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), in which the brands are obliged to shell out funds to renovate the factories to make them safer.

So far 100 CAPs have been prepared but only 60 have been made public.

Accord has also been training workers and owners since July this year to involve them in the implementation of key Accord provisions.

Analysing the financial part of the report it is found that group corporate and personnel costs have taken up three-fourth of the total expenditure.

Remuneration to foreign employees and consultancy fees together account for around 80 percent of the personnel costs.

But inspections (excluding fees and salaries), on which Accord focused in its first year, account only for 21 percent of the total expenditure.