When it comes to responsible apparel making, Gildan are more than holding themselves to the highest standards. They're creating them.
When you choose Gildan products, you choose products made with sustainability in mind. Their virtually integrated manufacturing allows them to make decisions that have an extra-large positive impact on their employees, their communities and our planet. Here below you will find information about some of the efforts Gildan are making, but you can also find out more here: Made With Respect™ | Gildan ESG | Gildan Brands
XL Positive Impact
From its very beginning, Gildan has been re-imagining and building the future of responsible apparel manufacturing. From the farm, to the factory, to fostering a circular economy, they make apparel with the utmost respect for resources, both human and natural. Holding themselves to a higher standard at every step across their global operation.
Gildan are vertically integrated manufacturers. This means they source the cotton, spin the yarn, knit, dye and cut the fabric and sew the clothes. From start to finish they make apparel with respect for people and the environment. This requires a keen eye on every part of the supply chain, which they can do because they own most of it. Every water source, every unit of energy, every ergonomic workstation they hold themselves accountable for, paying as much attention to what goes into the work as what comes out of it.
Respect for the Environment
For close to 20 years, they have measured, monitored, optimised, and reported their environmental results to understand and lower their impact on the planet. Since then, they have pursued continuous improvements in every aspect of their operations to become one of the world's most efficient and sustainable apparel manufacturers.
Climate change is a reality that affects us all. Gildan is committed to using energy efficiency initiatives to minimise their greenhouse gas emissions whenever and wherever possible. That's why they work to increase energy efficiency across their operations by reducing reliance on fossil fuels and favouring more sustainable alternative energy sources and production processes.
Take a look at some of their annual numbers:
33% of their total energy comes from renewable sources
A- in CDP's 2020 Climate Change report
2.6% decrease in our energy intensity from 2015-2020
Respect for Water
Water is one of the world's most precious resources and plays a large part in the entire lifecycle of apparel production. This is why Gildan's goal is to manage water consumption and clean wastewater in the most environmentally conscious way:
9-13 litres less water needed when compared to industry average
11.4% reduction in water intensity from 2015- 2020
175,968 m3 from our Biotop to irrigate our green areas
Respect for Circularity
Gildan are committed to fostering a circular economy to reduce their environmental impact on the planet. On top of overall mindful consumption of the earth's resources, they are continually looking for ways to use more sustainable raw materials. Owning the vast majority of the supply chain gives them oversight to help reduce waste in all places that present opportunities. In fact, their supply chain ownership also allows them to use some of the in-process waste from one production as input into other products. This ownership is perhaps the largest contributing factor in their ability to serve the UN Sustainable Development Goal: responsible consumption and production patterns.
84% of their total waste is recycled or repurposed
100% of textile clippings are recycled
90% of their cotton is sourced from the U.S.
Sustainable cotton
Gildan place a high emphasis on sourcing and purchasing high-quality, sustainably grown cotton. They primarily buy U.S. cotton because of the inherent ethical and sustainable benefits that it has as a highly regulated crop.
Respect for People
Gildan embrace their responsibility to treat people with respect and dignity by providing rewarding, safe, and healthy work environments. They strive to foster a company culture where employees are valued and aim to create fair and equal opportunities for all employees to grow and share their success.
As the actual employer of the majority of the workers who make their clothes, they understand the immense responsibility that comes with taking care of them. Everywhere they operate, they offer ethical and empowering working conditions while always treating workers with respect and dignity:
100% of workers have fair wages
53% of workers are covered by a collective bargaining agreement
65M of in-kind benefits provided to workers
Made with Respect for Health and Safety
When it comes to employees, Gildan's most important priority is to provide them with safe and healthy work environments. How? By making significant and ongoing investments towards modern equipment and technology, world-class health and safety programs, innovative material handling and process design, free on-site health care, a variety of health and wellness campaigns, and others.
97% of workers represented by OHS committees
23 on-site medical facilities
207k hours of training on OHS
Respect for Communities
Gildan has always been deeply committed to its communities because they understand that healthy and resilient thriving communities, in turn, foster resilient businesses. That's why they make sure to operate responsibly and create positive economic impacts in the regions where they operate. This extends beyond creating jobs by supporting sustainable economic development, investing in local suppliers, and making positive and meaningful advancements in these regions.
$1.2M donated to community projects
$215M worth of materials and services purchased from local suppliers
85% of managers are local residents
Respect for Transparency
One main differentiator of the way Gildan operates is the unapparelled visibility that the Company has over much of its supply chain, allowing Gildan to put transparency and ownership at the core of their business model. By being transparent they contribute to a global conversation about supply chain transparency, which is inspiring people to think differently about what they wear.
Gildan have a wide ranging Code of Conduct. You can read more about all their policies here: https://gildancorp.com/en/responsibility/respect-for-transparency/codes-and-policies/
Click the link to view the full range of Gildan products available at Absolute Apparel:
Gildan Search Results | Absoluteapparel.co.uk