Modern slavery​

Our Modern Slavery Report affirms our commitment and details our approach to identifying and eradicating modern slavery in all its forms from our supply chains and operations.

Gildan employs vigilant monitoring procedures related to both child and forced labour in Gildan-operated and finished product contractor facilities, including:

• Conducting periodic reviews of our policies and procedures related to both forced and child labour to help ensure they align with national laws, international standards, and stakeholder requirements

• Conducting ongoing reviews of recruitment practices to identify and screen out job applicants who are under the legal minimum age, or the minimum age of hire specified in our Code of Conduct

• Requiring facilities to agree to periodic compliance audits (see page 6 of our Social and Sustainable Compliance Guidebook)

• Reviewing and analyzing information from grievance mechanisms

• Conducting an annual refresher training on our Code of Conduct to reinforce our commitment to preventing child and forced labour

If any issues of non-compliance are identified in our supply chain, we expect the implementation of appropriate remedies and ultimately reserve the right to terminate the contract with any defaulting supplier.

Modern slavery remains a human rights concern in the global cotton production industry. Recognizing the importance of addressing these risks, Gildan has implemented robust due diligence measures, particularly when sourcing cotton from outside the United States, which represents a very limited amount of Gildan’s cotton supply. These measures are designed to enhance supply chain transparency and help ensure compliance with ethical sourcing practices.

To mitigate risks associated with modern slavery and other human rights violations, Gildan engages in additional risk-based supply chain tracing for all cotton sourced internationally. We have partnered with an independent third-party organization to map and evaluate the supply chains of our yarn vendors. This vetting process is critical to help ensure that cotton is not procured from prohibited or high-risk sources.

Following a comprehensive assessment of yarn spinners, including their adherence to Gildan’s Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct, we established a list of approved vendors. These nominated vendors are the only sources from which Gildan’s finished goods suppliers can procure cotton and cotton-blended yarns. To maintain this high standard, Gildan conducts ongoing evaluations of new vendors, integrates them as necessary, and performs annual reviews of vendor compliance. 

In addition to vendor vetting, Gildan has adopted advanced testing protocols to further verify supply chain integrity. We have implemented random isotopic sample testing on products both sourced and produced in-house to indicate the geographic origin of cotton. This testing aims to ensure that cotton or yarn does not originate from regions identified as high-risk for modern slavery or other human rights violations, which might also be subject to import bans in countries where we sell our products. We also monitor global trends in supply chain traceability to refine our practices continuously.