“Maintaining this progress must remain an ongoing effort-and for our member brands, it will remain a top priority long beyond the Alliance’s departure,” Alliance Executive Director Jim Moriarty was quoted as saying in a statement released on Thursday.
Alliance unveiled its fifth and final annual report on Thursday.
US Ambassador Earl R Miller appreciated the achievement, saying Washington would continue to “strongly support” the brands’ efforts to monitor safety and empower workers in their factories.
“With this work, the Alliance has set a standard for the industry to follow in Bangladesh,” he said.
Alliance is a legally binding, five-year commitment to improve safety in Bangladeshi RMG factories, one of two signed with foreign buyers. While Alliance is maintained with North American (mostly US, Canada) buyers, the other, Accord is with European buyers.
It was organised in 2013 after the collapse of the Rana Plaza in which over 1,000 people – mostly RMG workers – were killed. The incident took place only 5 months after a deadly fire at the Tazreen Fashions garment factory left over 100 people dead.
Alliance announced the near completion of factory safety improvements as well as the full execution of its fire safety training and 24-hour worker helpline to over 1.5 million workers in Alliance-affiliated factories.
“With an ecosystem of safety now in place, the Alliance is transitioning its widely renowned training program and helpline to local partners who will continue both and expand them to additional factories throughout Bangladesh,” the media statement read.
It said most Alliance member brands planned to work through a locally-based organisation to collectively monitor safety standards, training execution and helpline promotion in the factories from which they source. Consistency in the level of safety, achieved under the Alliance, will remain a requirement of these brands.
Highlights from Alliance report
-- 93 percent remediation across Alliance-affiliated factories is complete;
-- 428 factories completed all material items in their initial Corrective Action Plans;
-- Nearly 1.6 million workers have been trained to protect themselves in case of a fire emergency. Alliance has developed local training partners to expand the training beyond Alliance-affiliated factories;
-- 28,000 security guards have been trained in fire safety and emergency evacuation procedures;
-- More than 1.5 million workers now have access to a 24-hour confidential helpline. It will soon be available to RMG factories throughout Bangladesh;
-- 181 worker safety committees have been formed