Regulated as a food and fibre crop under strict U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards, cotton grown in the USA represents the best combination of quality and value for Gildan’s cotton and cotton blended products. Under the guidance of the National Cotton Council, USDA and various other organisations, US farmers have continuously reduced their environmental footprint by constantly improving their agricultural practices.

 

Since 2009, Gildan has proudly displayed the Cotton USA mark on consumer’s product packaging and shipping materials. This internationally recognized mark, licensed by the Cotton Council International, symbolizes the inherent benefits that the US Cotton industry delivers by being a highly regulated crop.

Gildan has carefully selected to primarily use US Cotton for the vast majority of its products. We recognize the synergies between the US industry’s social, environmental and agricultural programs and the core values of Gildan’s Genuine Stewardship Program.

Under the guidance of the USDA, the National Cotton Council (NCC) and various other organisations, US Cotton farmers have partnered with industry and academia in order to develop and implement numerous agricultural conservation practices and technologies. These technologies have allowed to dramatically reduce their environmental footprint.

Seed varieties have increased production yields while lowering water, land and energy, and furthermore reducing the frequency and intensity of chemical applications. Conservation agricultural practices and advanced soil monitoring systems have reduced soil erosion and residual impacts on the environment. GPS positioning and advanced delivery systems allows farmers to be more efficient while planting, fertilizing and harvesting, effectively allowing for a reduction in GHG emissions and environmental impacts on the land and neighbouring ecosystems.

US cotton farmers are required to adhere to strict US labour laws and regulations. These regulations are most likely some of the most stringent in the cotton growing industry globally. They provide workers with ethical workplaces and because cotton is regulated as a food crop, workplace health and safety conditions mirror those of the vast majority of the foods we find on our tables.

Some U.S. Cotton facts:

• The US Cotton industry as a whole employs over 190,000 employees, whose farms output is valued in excess of 5 billion. The economic impact of all parts of the US Cotton industry are estimated to be in excess of $27 billion*
• U.S. cotton is regulated as a food crop as well as a fibre crop by U.S. regulatory agencies (USDA, USEPA and FDA), It is therefore subject to the same rigorous environmental standards as food producers.
• U.S. Cotton growers offer ethical and safe work environments respecting employee rights according to the laws and regulations as set forth under U.S. law and OSHA.
• U.S. Cotton is a drought and heat-tolerant crop, with two-thirds of a planted acreage requiring no supplemental irrigation in addition to rainfall.
• Two-thirds of U.S. growers use conservation tillage, which saves about 907 million metric tons of soil per year and over one billion litres of tractor fuel. Conservation tillage is a method different than conventional tillage.  It reduces soil erosion and therefore nutrient loss. It also increases the soil’s moisture and organic matter content.
• U.S. cotton is a net greenhouse gas (GHG) absorber. More GHGs are absorbed in the fiber, plants and soil than those GHGs emitted during the entire agricultural cycle: field preparation through harvest. www.cotton.org/econ/world/detail.cfm

 

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