Montreal - Gildan Activewear has announced the publication of its 17th Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report which outlines the company's approach and commitment to ESG, its 2020 performance results, and key priorities towards continuing 'Making Apparel Better' strategic vision.

In 2020, Gildan says it faced unprecedented circumstances due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and two back-to-back hurricanes in Central America. Still, despite these challenging events, the company ended the year on a strong note, demonstrating that operating and financial performance combined with a focus on ESG creates value for all stakeholders.

“Last year, more than ever, we were able to witness the strength and resiliency of our unique business model and the importance of ESG,” said Glenn Chamandy, President and CEO of Gildan. “While we are pleased with the success and recognition we have achieved, there is still more work to be done and we are now working on our “Next Generation” ESG strategy and a new set of long-term goals, which we will announce later this year.”

In 2020, Gildan received some of the following recognition from organizations worldwide for its ESG practices:

• Top 100 Most Sustainability Managed Companies by The Wall Street Journal - ranked 32nd
• Dow Jones Sustainability Index - 8th consecutive inclusion
• CDP's Climate Change Report - included in the Leadership Band with an A- score
• SAM Sustainability Yearbook - 8th consecutive inclusion
• FUNDAHRSE CSR Seal -13th consecutive inclusion
• Fashion Transparency Index - top 25 brand

Environment

Gildan has measured, monitored and reported its environmental results aimed at lowering its impact on the planet for the last 16 years. In 2020, it completed its second set of 5-year environmental targets, and while the company was not able to meet all its goals as it diverted attention and resources to navigating through the pandemic, responding to the aftermath of the hurricanes, and putting its people first, Gildan says it was still able to make some important progress.

Key 2020 environment highlights include the following:

• 33% of Gildan’s total energy came from renewable sources
• 88% of Gildan’s total waste was recycled or repurposed
• 11.4% reduction in water intensity achieved from 2015 to 2020
• 14% decrease in Gildan’s total waste from 2015 to 2020

Social

Gildan says that one of its longstanding priorities has been to enforce and protect the fair treatment of the people who manufacture products throughout its supply chain.

Key 2020 social highlights include the following:

• Gildan mobilized a team of experts to develop and implement stringent biosecurity protocols in its facilities to protect employees during COVID-19
• Humanitarian aid and a disaster relief program were activated to support employees and local communities affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota
• Employee wages in 100% of Gildan-owned manufacturing facilities were evaluated based on the FLA data-collection tool
• 53% of employees were covered by a collective bargaining agreement
• 97% of employees were represented by formal health and safety committees
• 207,000 hours of employee training were dedicated to occupational health and safety (OHS)
• $1.3M was donated to community projects in regions where Gildan operates Governance: