YKK announced Monday that its facility in Bangladesh was certified by the Alliance of Bangladesh Worker Safety in late 2018.
This makes the global fastening products company the only zipper manufacturer in the country to be certified by the Alliance, which conducted factory safety assessments to ensure facilities met its fire safety and structural integrity standards before it began tapering operations at the end of 2018.
The assessment provided factory owners with a technical understanding of the fire safety and structural concerns related to their facilities, and outlined prompt action plans to systematically and sustainably improve safety conditions for garment workers.
“With the YKK Group Health and Safety Pledge made in February 1994, we committed to eliminating causes of hazard and harm at all of our workplaces globally,” said Terry Tsukumo, vice president of the global marketing group for the YKK Corporation. “YKK Bangladesh’s certification by Alliance is another example of our commitment to worker safety throughout the world. No other zipper or trim manufacturer producing in Bangladesh has made this commitment.”
The Alliance was formed in the immediate aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013, which killed 1,134 workers. Twenty-nine global apparel companies, retailers and brands had committed to only using certified production facilities.
During the Alliance’s five-year tenure, it oversaw 93 percent of remediations across its 654 affiliated factories. A total of 428 factories completed their initial Corrective Action Plans, which included fixes to fire safety and exit routes. Nearly 1.6 million workers have been trained in fire safety and more than 28,000 security guards have also been trained in fire safety and emergency evacuations.