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Energy
Energy consumption is directly linked to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Gildan’s greatest sources of energy are bunker fuel and electricity. Bunker fuel is used primarily to heat water necessary for our dyeing and compacting process – it is classified as “direct energy”. The balance originates from purchased electricity, classified as “indirect energy”. Our yarn-spinning process at our joint-venture facility in the United States represents a large part of the electricity we use.
In 2011, the global energy consumption by all facilities – including Haitian contractors, but excluding our Bangladesh facility – and offices, including direct and indirect energy, was approximately 4,227,527 Gigajoules, compared to 3,810,039 Gigajoules in 2010. While production volume increased by 17%, energy consumption only increased by 11%.
In 2011, we reduced significantly our bunker fuel consumption, resulting in an 18% reduction. This is largely attributable to the increased use of biomass instead of bunker fuel.
