Mango signs Pakistan Accord, extends commitment to garment workers

Spanish retailer Mango has announced that it has signed the Pakistan Accord, an employment safety initiative looking to ensure protection of workers in the region.

It extends the brand’s previous commitment to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which it initially signed in 2013, expanding the group’s commitment to another key textile and garment manufacturing country that it operates in.

The agreement, which comes as part of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment and Textile Industry, hopes to ensure garment workers in Pakistan have a safe place to work, promoting initiatives such as independent inspections, rehabilitation and training programmes.

Mango said that the signing links to its ongoing sustainability strategy, ‘Sustainable Vision 2030’, through which it has made commitments to workers, employees and suppliers in regions it works within.

In a release, Mango’s chief executive officer, Toni Ruiz, said that Mango firmly believed “in the transformative power of collaboration”, which is why the retailer felt it was necessary to join the accord.

Ruiz continued: “We are delighted that these types of agreements are being extended to new countries, since it represents a major step forward in our journey towards greater protection in textile and garment factories.

“As a company committed to its surroundings, we will continue working to generate a positive impact on our communities.”

The Bangladesh Accord was struck up following the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013, arising from the need to improve working conditions. It was renewed in 2021.