Gildan publishes 2019 Genuine Responsibility ESG report

Gildan Activewear has released its 16th Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.

The 2019 ESG report showcases Gildan’s approach and commitment to ESG, including highlights of the company’s 2019 results, key priorities, and future commitments towards achieving its vision of Making Apparel Better.

In 2019, the company continued to focus on making progress towards fulfilling its 2020 goals centred around three Genuine Responsibility pillars: Caring for People, Conserving the Environment, and Creating Stronger Communities.

Claudia Sandoval, vice president, corporate citizenship, said: “I am pleased to present our newest ESG report. Our strategy of owning and operating our facilities has given us the ability to provide rewarding jobs, safe and healthy work environments, and the capability to implement innovative environmental solutions in our operations while continuously improving the lives of our neighbouring communities. Even more so during these uncertain times, our vertical integration enables us to minimise disruption in our supply chain and allows us to leverage our manufacturing excellence to adapt our business to this changing environment.”

In July 2019, Gildan’s Social Compliance Program was reaccredited by the Fair Labor Association (FLA) for the second time after becoming the first basic activewear apparel manufacturer to receive this accreditation in 2007. The reaccreditation comes after an extensive two-year review of the company’s practices and policies that are in place to ensure fair labour practices across its global supply chain.

Highlights from the report include:

• In 2019, 96% of Gildan workers were represented by formal Health and Safety committees. The Company provided almost 2.5 million hours of training to its employees and invested $13.9 million in supplemental benefits.
• Gildan also continued to strengthen its focus on women empowerment by continuing to roll-out various training opportunities to uplift women in the workplace at all levels of the organisation and by strengthening its relationship with partners.
• Gildan achieved two of its 2020 targets early related to water intensity and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which represented an 11.2% and 13.0% reduction from their 2015 baseline, respectively.
• In 2019, 44% of total energy use at Gildan was powered by renewable resources, an area which will continue to remain a large focus for Gildan in the coming years.
• In 2019, over 3,700 local suppliers in Latin America and Bangladesh benefited from the company’s presence in the region, and over $260 million worth of materials were purchased by Gildan from these suppliers.
• Gildan renewed its partnership with Room to Read to help improve girls’ education and literacy and promote gender equality in Bangladesh. In 2019, Gildan’s donations to community causes amounted to approximately $1.5 million towards creating sustainable local impacts.