June 23, 2021 – The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol welcomes Gildan Activewear and their portfolio of company-owned brands, including Gildan®, Alstyle®, American Apparel®, and Comfort Colors®, as members. The Company serves as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of everyday basic apparel, and it is also one of the largest domestic consumers of U.S. cotton, which represents the majority of the fiber used in Gildan’s products.
“At Gildan, we have a vision of Making Apparel Better®, and we have long been committed to ensuring that our supply chain is ethical and sustainable from fiber to shirt,” said Glenn Chamandy, President and CEO of Gildan. “Joining the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a natural next step in our sustainability and transparency journey as it will increase transparency into our supply chain while also providing us with additional assurance that the cotton we purchase from the U.S. is sustainably grown with low environmental and social risks,” he added.
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is a farm level, science-based program that sets a new standard for more sustainably grown cotton. It brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurements to sustainable cotton production as well as drives continuous improvement in six key sustainability metrics: Land use, soil carbon, water management, soil loss, GHG emissions, and energy efficiency. Members will also be provided with full supply chain transparency through the Protocol Credit Management System.
“Gildan has a proven track record of a strong commitment to sustainable practices, and we are pleased to welcome them as new members,” says Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “Their company was founded on the principle of producing sustainable and ethical apparel, to which cotton is a key component. As members of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, we will help them further this principle by providing them third-party verified assurances that they are sourcing responsibly produced, quality fiber and reducing environmental and social risk in their field-to-mill supply chain.”
The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and recognized by Textile Exchange and Forum for the Future, and it is also part of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cotton 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge, Cotton 2040, and Cotton Up initiatives.