ImagesMagUK_February_2022

www.images-magazine.com NOVEMBER 2021 images 43 CP COVER PROMOTION www.genuineresponsibility.com Chuck Ward (centre) and Gary Adam (left) visit cotton grower Rusty Derby in South Carolina to discuss the benefits of sourcing US Cotton Gildan has the following third-party assurances in place to validate its cotton sources... The US Cotton Trust Protocol Gildan is a member of The US Cotton Trust Protocol – an initiative that sets a new standard for more sustainably grown cotton. Aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Protocol brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurements to sustainable cotton production. In addition, the Protocol underpins and verifies US cotton’s sustainability progress through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification. A big part of Gildan’s XL positive impact is how the company sources cotton. Gildan buys nine tenths of its cotton from US growers. Why does the company love American cotton? Click to watch the video to find out. Hear directly from Chuck Ward, Dr. Gary Adams and Rusty Darby, cotton grower in South Carolina, as they talk about the benefits of sourcing US Cotton. “Cotton is extremely important for Gildan. It’s our largest raw material, so it’s critically important to us, our product and our consumers. Ninety percent of our cotton is US Cotton, and we’re committed to it because of its sustainability and its quality. It’s just some of the best fibre in the world,” explains Chuck Ward. It starts in the soil Cotton USA Since 2009, Gildan has proudly displayed the Cotton USA® mark on consumer-product packaging and shipping materials licensed by Cotton Council International (CCI). This interna- tionally recognised mark symbolises the inherent benefits the US cotton industry delivers as a highly regulated crop. Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) Since 2016, Gildan has been a manufacturing member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). This global non-profit organisation aims to transform cotton production worldwide by developing better cotton as a sustainable mainstream commodity. “While Gildan embarked on its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) journey over two decades ago, we know that the path to sustainability is on- going, which is why we will continue our journey forward to further strength- en our programmes. We also know that it is not enough to set targets. Therefore, we are developing clear and credible roadmaps to address the challenges and opportunities we face to continue to make meaningful positive impacts, and we won’t be doing it alone. Our success depends on the collaboration of all key stakeholders, and we are excited to fos- ter and leverage a global, collaborative approach to bring our goals to life.” www.genuineresponsibility.com Hear directly from Chuck Ward, Dr Gary Adams and Rusty Darby in the video FEBRUARY 2 39