Gildan Activewear to start producing personal protective equipment to help slow the spread of COVID-19
April 08 2020 - 1:59PM
Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL: TSX and NYSE) today announced that it
has joined forces with various business partners to leverage its
manufacturing facilities to produce non-medical face masks and
isolation gowns in support of the global fight against the COVID-19
pandemic.
Gildan is working with one of its customers in the imprintables
channel to support a cooperative consortium of major apparel and
textile companies to help produce non-medical face masks to be
distributed to support hospitals, health care workers and others
battling the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Both the design and
textile fabric to be used in the production of these masks are
being provided by partners of the consortium who are working in
collaboration to lessen the major shortage of face masks. Gildan is
also working with a retail partner to produce non-medical face
masks primarily intended for healthcare organizations worldwide.
This initiative includes manufacturing the required textile for the
production of these masks. Moreover, the Company is also working
with another retail partner to manufacture isolation gowns to be
distributed to the health care sector to help address the current
shortage of personal protective equipment in fighting COVID-19.
Gildan has received authorization from the Honduras government
to partially reopen one of its textile facilities to produce the
fabric needed for the masks and gowns, and one of its sewing
facilities in Honduras for the assembly of these products. To
ensure the health and safety of its people, Gildan has mobilized a
team of experts and is developing and implementing stringent
processes to protect employees who have chosen to come back to work
on this effort. The facilities that will be reopened for the
production of personal protective equipment will all operate under
a strict biosecurity protocol developed following government
mandated guidelines and industry best practices.
“As an organization we are committed to playing a proactive role
in supporting the shortage of personal protective equipment needed
in the global fight against this pandemic,” said Glenn Chamandy,
President and CEO of Gildan. “I want to thank our partners and
everyone at Gildan who have been working diligently to get the
required authorizations and plans in place to start the production
of these much-needed items, and especially the facility workers who
have volunteered to work to produce these products,” he added.
The Company is also having discussions with other partners in
the retail and imprintables industry interested in distributing
personal protective equipment. Finally, the Company has also
communicated with other governments in the countries where it
operates, including Canada and Honduras, and has offered to supply
non-medical masks and isolation gowns as needed.
About GildanGildan 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 Basin, North America, and Bangladesh. With
approximately 53,000 employees worldwide, 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 ArgiriouVice
President, Investor Communications(514)
343-8815sargiriou@gildan.com
Media inquiries:Genevieve GosselinDirector,
Corporate Communications and Marketing(514)
343-8814ggosselin@gildan.com
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