(February 2, 2024) – In response to the CBC Fifth Estate documentary from February 2, 2024 on the 2013 tragedy at Rana Plaza, and on the garment industry in Bangladesh generally, Joe Fresh offers the following statement and further clarifying information:

“The collapse of Rana Plaza was a monumental tragedy that to this day impacts the people of Bangladesh – as survivors and as friends, families and loved ones of those who died and were injured. It was also a catalyst for change in the global garment industry and has created an ongoing legacy of improved factory safety. 

As this documentary has shown, at the time of this tragedy the garment industry had significant weaknesses in factory safety and working conditions in Bangladesh. And while significant improvements and progress have been made over the last ten years, the industry clearly has more work to do.  

However, Joe Fresh is proud of the role we have played for more than a decade in the relief and rebuild effort, as the industry worked to materially improve factory safety and helped to improve the lives of millions and the economy in Bangladesh. We have an unwavering commitment to the safety of those who work within our supply chain, and believe that while much has been accomplished, we can all continue to do more.” - Ian Freedman, President, Joe Fresh.

Additional background:  

• We provided more than $5 million CAD to the Rana Plaza Donors’ Trust Fund established to provide compensation and support for the individuals and families tragically affected by the collapse of Rana Plaza

• We were one of the first signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which established and enforced standards and audits for the structural integrity of factories 

• Since 2013, we have achieved a best-in-class remediation rate of over 93% for all of our obligated factories. Any deficiency, regardless of severity, is addressed with factories we source from and new concerns raised through the ongoing auditing process are resolved and submitted for review.  

• The Accord, by all accounts, has been an exceptional success, remediating thousands of factories and now expanding to Pakistan

• We have dozens of people on the ground in regions where we source, including seven (7) who are currently based in Bangladesh

We remain committed to transparency and accountability in our global supply chain, and continue to collaborate with stakeholders, factory partners, and industry organizations to drive positive change and protect the rights and well-being of workers where our products are made.

Statements from others involved in the garment industry in Bangladesh: 

• UNI Global Union: “The now, ‘International Accord’, has been a tremendous success. It has significantly improved building and worker safety in Bangladesh and has become a model for collaboration. Loblaw and Joe Fresh have been leaders in the development and implementation of the Accord, including acting as a steering committee member for several years. Their remediation efforts are best in class and we’re proud to have them as a partner. Their involvement has been key to our successes to date, as we collectively work toward safer working conditions.” – Alke Boessiger, Deputy General Secretary, UNI global union(Open in a new tab)

• The Accord: The Accord (and now the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) in Bangladesh) monitors factory remediation on our behalf and encourages us to engage with the factories, so they have support from sourcing brands to remediate the identified health and safety risks. In doing so, we ensure that the factories understand the importance that we attach to their participation and collaboration with the Accord/RSC program and their continuous progress in remediating the issues concerned, with our support and access to technical advice from the RSC if necessary. Some remediation items that you see in the inspection reports, including fire safety issues, such as design, installation, and commissioning of fire detection and fire suppression systems, and issues around safe egress, are implemented over a longer period. However, that does not mean the factory has not shown progress. When issues are marked as pending verification, it means the factory has reported them as fixed, and the Accord (and now the RSC) will be verifying if they were correctly addressed.

• The Accord focuses on supplier incentives to ensure factories make remediation progress. If factories lack the financial resources to make the necessary investments in factory safety, it can raise a finance request. We as a brand are then required to support the factory, through our commercial terms, which ensure it is financially feasible for the factory to make the necessary investments. When factories fail to remediate certain safety findings and are not able to justify the delays, the RSC implements an escalation process, which, means that brands, through subsequent escalation stages, apply their (commercial) leverage to ensure that factories take the safety findings seriously and remediate the issues. Continued failure by a factory to make remediation progress could ultimately render the factory ineligible to produce for any Accord signatory brand. These legally binding requirements under the Accord are instrumental in driving remediation progress at the factories we source from.