The International Accord has signed its 300th brand, extending independent safety oversight to more than 2,000 factories in Bangladesh and Pakistan that together account for roughly $26 billion in annual sourcing and 3.4 million workers.

"This is the highest number of brands that we have to date," Joris Oldenziel, executive director of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment and Textile Industry, told Sourcing Journal. "This represents a very strong commitment to workplace health and safety," he said.

The milestone lands at an awkward moment. The Bangladesh Safety Agreement expires on 31 December 2026, and brands and the two global unions — IndustriALL and UNI — are preparing to negotiate its renewal against resistance from Bangladeshi manufacturers.

Approximately 247 brands source from Bangladesh under the programme and 143 from Pakistan. In Bangladesh, sourcing from Accord participants rose from roughly $17 billion in 2023 to $20 billion in 2025. In Pakistan, the figure grew from $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion in 2025. Oldenziel argues the growth proves the commercial case: "Part of it is that brands feel that there's now an independent entity overlooking safety, and they can feel comfortable increasing their sourcing."

Why are Bangladesh's manufacturers pushing back?

Nafis Ud Doula, director of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and an RSC board member, wants the framework's remit cut, not expanded. "From the industry, we are saying, 'It is enough! We don't want any external gatekeeper. We are mature enough to handle ourselves. We do not want the Accord as a gatekeeper. We want to change the protocols; to change the process,'" he said.

His charges against the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), the tripartite body that has run inspections, remediation monitoring, safety training and the complaints mechanism since 2020:

• Operating costs have risen considerably over six years while protocols have not changed. "The world has changed and come a long way, but we haven't changed any protocols. We are still following the same ones," Ud Doula said.
• Design approvals take more than a year, delaying remediation.
• Requirements keep shifting: "We see the Accord keeps shifting the goalposts. Even as we spend hundreds of millions of dollars on remediation, these keep changing."
• Consultants were engaged "out of nowhere" and "are making a lot of mistakes".
• Trivial rework persists — he cites equipment installed in 2014 whose faded print now fails verification.

On the RSC board, manufacturers rejected expanding the complaints mechanism beyond occupational safety and health into wider labour practices. "When the RSC was formed, we thought it would be a service-based organization, not just for policing," Ud Doula said. "We are not convinced that the RSC should expand its mandate. It is even failing to deliver its existing mandate."

What do the unions want from renewal?

Atle Høie of IndustriALL frames the negotiation in opposite terms. "IndustriALL and its affiliates are pushing for expansion: broader coverage, stronger complaint mechanisms, more effective governance. Trade unions will not settle for the status quo," he said, while calling 300 signatories "a massive shift in how global brands approach worker protection".

Oldenziel acknowledges the tension. "You can't have this program without the involvement of the manufacturers, but at the same time, you do want the program to be independent and free of interference or particular dominance by one of the parties," he said. He notes hundreds of factories still lack fully verified fire alarm and detection systems. "The objective is to help factories become safer and more competitive, rather than drive them out of business."

Where does Pakistan stand?

Pakistan's programme, launched in 2023 and renewed in January 2026 with provision for automatic renewal for a further three years, has completed inspections in almost all covered factories and now shifts to remediation. A capacity gap complicates that phase: local engineering consultancy expertise is scarce, forcing most factories to hire external consultants for fire alarm designs and structural assessments.

Oldenziel also flagged sequencing. "We see that the focus has been a little too much on preparing designs and drawings with consultants and not enough on fixing these immediate items," he said, urging quick fixes such as safe egress while big-ticket fire suppression systems are procured.

Cambodia is the leading candidate for the Accord's next expansion, with brands and unions still to negotiate programme details and engage local stakeholders ahead of a possible 2027 launch.

The renewal negotiation forces a sourcing-side decision: brands must weigh manufacturers' cost complaints — sharpened by wars, shipping disruption and weak consumer demand — against union pressure to widen the RSC's mandate, and decide which governance model they will underwrite beyond 2026.