Gildan Awarded Silver Class Distinction in The Sustainability Yearbook 2021

MONTREAL, Feb. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL: TSX and NYSE) has reinforced its position as a sustainable leader in apparel manufacturing with a ninth-consecutive recognition in The Sustainability Yearbook, an award that distinguishes the world’s highest performing sustainable companies. This year, Gildan was awarded a Silver Class distinction, which recognizes that the Company’s ESG score is within 1% to 5% of the industry’s highest performing companies. Gildan scored particularly high in categories related to climate strategy, operational eco-efficiency, occupational health and safety, and risk and crisis management. Once again, Gildan was the only North American company to be recognized as a sustainability leader in the Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods industry.

The Sustainability Yearbook, by S&P Global, is one of the world's most comprehensive publications providing in-depth analysis on corporate sustainability. This annual ranking showcases the sustainability performance of the world's largest companies and rewards the top 15% with class distinctions. This year, a record number of companies across 61 industries were assessed with the goal of identifying those which exemplify leading corporate sustainability practices and a focus on long-term growth drivers.

“We are proud to be part of The Sustainability Yearbook once again, even more so this year as the number of companies assessed increased by close to 50%,” said Claudia Sandoval, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship at Gildan. “This recognition is the result of our commitment towards continuously identifying risks, measuring impacts, and disclosing transparent results.”

“We congratulate Gildan on its Silver Award in The Sustainability Yearbook 2021, which showcases the best performing companies among industry peers and in terms of financially material ESG metrics. With over 7,000 companies assessed, an inclusion in the yearbook is a true statement of corporate sustainability excellence,” said Manjit Jus, Global Head of ESG Research at S&P Global.

View the scores here.

About Gildan
Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel which markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Gildan®, American Apparel®, Comfort Colors®, Gildan® Hammer™, Prim + Preux®, GOLDTOE®, Anvil® by Gildan®, Alstyle®, Secret®, Silks®, Kushyfoot®, Secret Silky®, Therapy Plus®, Peds® and MediPeds®, and under the Under Armour® brand through a sock licensing agreement providing exclusive distribution rights in the United States and Canada. Our product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, hosiery, and legwear products sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters or embellishers, as well as to retailers that sell to consumers through their physical stores and/or e-commerce platforms, and to global lifestyle brand companies.

Gildan owns and operates vertically-integrated, large-scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America, the Caribbean, North America, and Bangladesh. Gildan operates with a strong commitment to industry-leading labour and environmental practices throughout its supply chain in accordance with its comprehensive Genuine Responsibility® program embedded in the Company's long-term business strategy. More information about the Company and its corporate citizenship practices and initiatives can be found at www.gildancorp.com and www.genuineresponsibility.com, respectively.

Investor inquiries: Sophie Argiriou Vice President, Investor Communications (514) 343-8815 sargiriou@gildan.com	Media inquiries: Genevieve Gosselin Director, Corporate Marketing and Communications (514) 343-8814 ggosselin@gildan.com