Policies & Procedures
Environmental Policy
Gildan’s practices are guided by the Environmental Policy (pdf - 30.5Kb) we adopted in 2003. Rigorously applied at all facilities, the policy describes and reinforces behaviours that ensure that we meet and/or exceed local laws, as well as our own higher standards. This encompasses areas such as water use; wastewater control; waste management; energy; chemical handling; and control of atmospheric emissions, as well as ozone-depleting substances, biodiversity protection and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Environmental Expenditures
Gildan incurs environmental expenditures in order to comply with environmental laws and regulations, our own Environmental Policy and to continue to improve its practices.
The total environmental protection expenditures for 2010 and 2011 were respectively around $4.5 million and $9.2 million. This comprises total operational costs (including effluents; Biotop® maintenance; waste disposal and management; emissions treatment; spills clean-up) and investment costs.
Examples of investment costs for 2010-2011:
- Additional Biotop® lagoons to absorb our production capacity increase in Honduras
- Upgrading of one section of the Biotop® system at our textile facility in the Dominican Republic in order to improve the system already in place
- Improvement of waste and fuel storage facilities at various sewing plants
- New biomass project in Honduras
- Equipment purchases for the new biological reactor