This year the global fashion industry took another step towards accountability for the safety of the international supply sector, with better health measures. After fashion’s deadliest tragedy, the Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013, where more than 1,100 workers died due to structural building failure in Bangladesh, brands rallied to create the International Accord on Health and Safety, formerly the Bangladesh Accord. More than a decade later, a new Pakistan Accord was launched this year as the first regional successor to the groundbreaking International Accord, to address Pakistan’s workers fear of building fires, collapses, and other significant accidents that still exist and are preventable. The new legally binding agreement, officially known as the Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, marks a significant step forward in improving factory safety and working conditions within Pakistan’s fashion supply chain.

The Pakistan Accord is the first country-specific implementation by the International Accord that covers fabric and textile mills. This historic agreement, endorsed by over 200 brands, aims to set a precedent for similar accords in neighboring supply chain countries like Sri Lanka and India, with 110 signatory brands currently sourcing from Pakistan. In addition, the International Accord on Health and Safety has renewed with a three-year agreement, effective since November 1st, that now features an automatic renewal clause, proving its staying power and eliminating the bureaucratic need for future renegotiations. For an in-depth perspective, Models.com spoke with key figures for their perspective including Ayesha Barenblat, CEO and Founder of the nonprofit global advocacy organization Remake, model Andreea Diaconu, and Saba Ali Baig, who collaborates with Khalid Mahmood, director of the Labour Education Foundation in Lahore, Pakistan, for an on-the-ground perspective on labor practices and why there is international pressure on brands who refuse to join the agreement.