Dhaka has cast a big shadow over the garment industry’s future, especially as the victims included several Italians employed in the fashion trade. But the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which represents more than two dozen North American fashion brands and retailers, said that its members remained committed to buying garments from Bangladesh.

A group of mostly US-based fashion brands and retailers took pledge on Wednesday not to turn their backs on Bangladesh’s crucial garment industry, despite a series of deadly attacks by Islamist extremists.

James Moriarty, a former US envoy to Bangladesh, said that improving safety for the millions of men and women who make a living in Bangladesh’s garment sector is a moral imperative. As they review and update their policies to help keep their staff and contractors safe, their work to improve safety in Bangladesh’s garment factories will continue at full speed.”

Moriarty, also country director for the Alliance said that despite these unspeakable tragedies, the Alliance and their member companies will continue to stay the course.

The alliance, which includes major brands such as Gap and Walmart, was set up to improve safety standards at Bangladesh’s estimated 4,500 garment factories in the aftermath of the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster.