Is Gildan Ethical?
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Ethical fashion is quite hard to come by in recent times when fast fashion is dominating the fashion industry. To keep up with the prices required of a fast fashion brand, such companies usually have to employ labor in developing countries where people are exploited to work day and night with barely minimal wages. That is why fast fashion brands are rarely ethical.
However, things can be different for manufacturing companies who may not practice fast fashion. The company whose ethical practices we are looking at today is Gildan. It is a Canadian company established in 1984 and it manufactures basic apparel like underwear and activewear. It is one of the biggest manufacturing companies in Canada. It managed to reach this point by spending three decades developing a large-scale manufacturing base.
It all began in 1946 when Joseph Chamandy started a children’s apparel manufacturing company. It employed a knitting mill with circular machines in 1984 and renamed the company Gildan Textiles. Soon, it stopped production as a children’s wear company and focused on manufacturing solely activewear and expanding in Canada and the U.S.
It opened its first sewing plant in Honduras and started entering the European market as well. It soon expanded to sell 100% cotton t-shirts in the U.S. industry. Its specialty is making blank t-shirts, fleeces, and sports shirts. Gildan is known for offering a large variety of colors and styles including more than 140 different colors. In addition, it does not limit itself to a single gender or age. Instead, Gildan offers clothing for women, men, and toddlers.
The company believes that the foundation of its success relies upon Gildan running its own factories and the careful investments it has made throughout the years. It currently has a presence in more than 30 locations with over 50,000 employees.
ACNielsen’s S.T.A.R.S Report stated that Gildan will be America’s leading distributor of 100% cotton t-shirts in 2021.
Ethicality Rating: 7/10
Category: Clothing
For: Women, Men, Children
Products: T-shirts, Sweatpants, Hoodies
Style: Casual, Contemporary
Quality: Medium
Prices: -
Size: -
Fabrics: Polyester, Organic Cotton, Spandex, Viscose, Elastane, Linen, Leather, Nylon
100% Organic: Yes
100% Vegan: No
Ethical and Fair: Yes
Recycling: No
Manufacturing Countries: Not Transparent Enough
Certifications: Not Transparent Enough
Since its inception, Gildan has been quite conscious of being a responsible manufacturer of apparel. It aims to take steps to build a better future in which sustainability and ethical manufacturing is the norm. It harbors a lot of respect for the future, biodiversity, and for people. These core values ensure that Gildan realizes and fulfills its responsibilities.
Gildan is there every step of the way. It sources the cotton, spins yarn, knits, dyes, and even sews the garments. This way the company makes sure that it respects both human and natural resources that go into making Gildan items. Moreover, Gildan resumes accountability for every step of the manufacturing process. The ideology is to produce sustainable clothing using eco-friendly materials and produce as little waste material as possible. Its clothes are also reasonably priced to allow more people to obtain sustainable garments.
For over 20 years, Gildan has been reporting its environmental results to remain transparent and improve more every day to become one of the most sustainable brands in the world. The company has been attempting to undertake energy-efficient initiatives to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions as climate change is a real issue that has been affecting the Earth rapidly for the past decades. Instead of fossil fuels, it has been turning towards alternative energy sources that are renewable and sustainable. Gildan uses a carbon-neutral process that ensures that organic materials do not enter landfills where greenhouse gasses are produced and emitted. Gildan was ranked 32 in the Wall Street Journal’s list of the 100 Most Sustainably Managed Companies in the world.
These aspects surely paint a positive light on Gildan. However, the GoodOnYou directory is not quite satisfied with the company’s sustainable efforts, rating it “Not Good Enough”. It does not provide proof of any efforts it has taken for the environment or the emission of hazardous chemicals.
Moving on to Gildan’s ethical efforts, it embraces its responsibility of treating employees with respect and dignity. It aims to create an environment that fosters equality and diversity, giving space for the team’s creative spirits to flow. Gildan claims that 100% of its factories are evaluated by FLA data collection methodology. The company also spends millions of dollars to provide benefits to the employees.
It is also a great believer in respecting human rights and providing fair wages to the workers. Gildan considers the ongoing inflation trends while setting up the wage percentage and employee benefits. As one of the biggest companies in America, Gildan aims to provide a higher standard of living for the workers by providing for their overall needs such as vaccinations, parental leave, and free transportation.
Gildan has received a rating of “Good” by the GoodOnYou directory which is an excellent rating for any company. Its entire supply chain is accredited with the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct. It is not afraid to disclose policies and initiatives dedicated to protecting workers in the supply chain. This is the reason that the 2021 Fashion Transparency Index gave it a rating of 61-70% for its incredible transparency which is at the core of Gildan’s business model.
Moreover, Gildan even publishes a full ESG Report. The CEO says that,
ESG is one of the three core pillars of our Gildan Sustainable Growth (GSG) business strategy, and as we continue our journey towards achieving our 2030 ESG targets, we are committed to delivering and reporting on our progress.”
In 2021, the company contributed up to $1.1 million in community initiatives and achieved 30% gender parity in the workplace. Gildan’s efforts for the local communities are another reason that the company is loved for its ethical practices. The company has also seen a 10.9% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and 18.4% reduction in water intensity. Similarly, Gildan has taken applaudable steps in various sectors like labor practices and economic efficiency.
In conclusion, Gildan is a sustainable and ethical company that is improving more every day in terms of sustainability. Customers can trust the company’s items because it takes this responsibility quite seriously and also provides proof for its claims.
How We Became a Leading Apparel Company | Gildan (gildancorp.com)
Gildan | Leading Apparel Manufacturer (gildancorp.com)
Apparel Made With Respect for the Environment | Gildan (gildancorp.com)
Apparel Made With Respect | Gildan (gildancorp.com)
Apparel Made With Respect for People | Gildan (gildancorp.com)
Gildan - Sustainability Rating - Good On You
Apparel Made With Respect for Transparency | Gildan (gildancorp.com)