Biodiversity
The number and diversity of vegetal and animal species is a key indicator of the health of any ecosystem and ultimately influences quality of life for people living in or adjacent to this ecosystem.
Our Environmental Management System (EMS) includes a Biodiversity and Soil Use procedure that specifies that for every tree we cut, we replant ten.
On a global scale, in 2010 and 2011, Gildan planted more than 7,900 trees, along with 17,300 plants and shrubs through reforestation activities led by our employees.
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Gildan employees: making an environmental difference around the world
At Gildan, we are passionate about not only preserving, but enhancing the environment in which we live and work. With this philosophy in mind, we celebrate environmental events such as Earth Day and Environment Day at all of our facilities in Central America and in the Caribbean Basin.
Honduras
As part of our ongoing commitment to protecting biodiversity, more than 130 employees from our textile facilities in Honduras participated, for the second year in a row, in the Reforestation Day, which took place in September 2011. Our volunteers planted more than 700 trees, along with 3,000 plants and shrubs in the Biotop®, our biological wastewater treatment system.Nicaragua
In the summer of 2011,100 employees from our two sewing facilities volunteered in reforestation events to celebrate Environment Day.A team of volunteers from Gildan’s sewing facility in Rivas planted more than 100 trees in the La Conchagua community near our facilities. Our employees from San Marcos participated in a cleaning and reforestation activity, planting 500 shrubs and plants beside the La Flor River, one of the most affected areas around San Marcos.
Dominican Republic
In October 2011, Gildan’s environmental committee in the Dominican Republic, Huellas Verdes or Green Footprints, together with technicians from the Ministry of Environment of the Dominican Republic, organized its annual reforestation activity to commemorate Reforestation Month.We are proud to report that in 2011 more than 120 staff volunteers planted 1,400 trees at the Eco Park Vara de Capá.
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Biodiversity Inventory
Every two years, as part of our overall environmental impact assessments, we conduct, through a third party, biodiversity inventories in the Dominican Republic and Honduras.
Dominican Republic
The most recent inventory of our land in the Dominican Republic, performed in September 2010, revealed increased biodiversity:
- 35 bird species (an increase from 14 in 2009)
- 4 reptile species (an increase from 2 in 2009)
- 1 amphibious species
- 3 fish species
- 2 mammalian species
In addition, 23 of the above species were also found to be living in or around the Gildan Biotop® wastewater treatment plant.
Our inventory process confirmed once again that the Dominican Republic’s national bird, Cigua Palmera (Dulus dominicus), a locally protected species, continues to live and thrive in the environment of our Biotop® system.
Honduras
In April 2011, the first inventory at our Honduran manufacturing complex revealed that 33 animal species were living in or around the Gildan Biotop® wastewater treatment plant:
- 25 bird species
- 3 reptile species
- 5 amphibious species
