Otto Group Joins Effort to Improve Occupational Health and Safety in Pakistan’s Textile and Garment Sector

Otto Group Joins Effort to Improve Occupational Health and Safety in Pakistan’s Textile and Garment Sector

(IN BRIEF) The Otto Group, a leading e-commerce company, has signed the new Pakistan Accord, a labor protection agreement aimed at improving the safety of thousands of workers in Pakistan. The accord was established in response to the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh in 2013, which led to the creation of the Bangladesh Accord, which the Otto Group was significantly involved in formulating. The accord has been successful in improving labor and safety standards in Bangladesh and has now been extended to Pakistan, with the Otto Group welcoming the move as a positive step towards improving safety in the textile and apparel industry.

(PRESS RELEASE) HAMBURG, 26-Jan-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — The Otto Group, a German mail order company and one of the world’s biggest e-commerce companies, announced today that it has signed the new Pakistan Accord, a labor protection agreement aimed at improving the safety of thousands of workers in Pakistan. The accord is being implemented in close cooperation with Pakistani business partners and other stakeholders.

According to Dr Tobias Wollermann, Vice President Corporate Responsibility at the Otto Group, “We are pleased to be among the first signing companies and are thus clearly committing ourselves to our corporate responsibility. Improving working conditions in the textile industry is one of our core interests.”

The collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh in 2013 marked a turning point for the global textile and clothing industry. The tragedy led to the creation of the Bangladesh Accord, which was significantly influenced by the Otto Group and has led to enormous improvements in labor and safety standards in Bangladesh. In 2021, the accord was successfully transferred to a new agreement that extends beyond Bangladesh, the ‘International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry’.

The Otto Group, as a signatory to the International Accord and a co-initiator of the original Bangladesh Accord, welcomes the extension of the accord to Pakistan. Dr. Wollermann said “The extension of the successes achieved by the Accord in Bangladesh for the safety of workers to other countries is a hopeful outlook.”

The new agreement, which is being implemented in partnership with other companies, provides an opportunity to continue the efforts made in recent years to improve occupational health and safety measures throughout Pakistan’s garment and textile sector. The Otto Group has been a member of the Steering Committee of the International Accord since its inception and continues to show its commitment to sustainability and corporate responsibility.

About Otto Group

Founded in 1949 in Germany, the Otto Group is today a globally operating e-commerce and service Group with around 43,000 employees in 30 significant corporate groups, primarily present in the three economic areas of Germany, the rest of Europe, and the USA. Its business activities extend to the Platforms, Brand Concepts, Retailers, Services, and Financial Services segments. In the 2021/22 financial year (28 February), the Otto Group generated revenue of EUR 16.1 billion. With online sales of around EUR 12.1 billion, the Otto Group is among the world’s largest online retailers. The Group’s main strength is its broad-based presence with various ranges of products for diverse target groups in important regions around the world. A number of strategic partnerships and joint ventures offer the Otto Group outstanding conditions for the transfer of know-how and the use of synergy potential. A high degree of entrepreneurial responsibility and the Group companies’ will to collaborate guarantee both flexibility and customer proximity along with optimal appeal to target groups in each country.

Media contact:

Nicole Sieverding
+49 40 6461 3179
nicole.sieverding@ottogroup.com

SOURCE: Otto Group