Gildan’s San Pedro de Macoris and Las Americas sewing factories in the Dominican Republic became the company’s first ISO 45001-certified plants. The company said the “achievement is the first step of many towards reaching the company’s goal of obtaining the ISO 45001 certification for all company-operated facilities by 2028, as part of Gildan’s Next Generation ESG strategy.”
“As a manufacturing company, we understand the deep responsibility we hold in protecting and fostering the physical and mental well-being of our employees,” said Mike Albright, VP of health, safety, and HR manufacturing at Gildan. “By committing to the realization of this safety goal, Gildan is emphasizing the value we place on operating with the utmost respect for our people.”
As part of Gildan’s Next Generation ESG strategy, the company reportedly implemented new processes to “prioritize, standardize and accelerate health and safety on the factory floor” at its sites worldwide. The company said it plans to achieve this through the ISO 45001 certification—”a global management system that promotes health and safety performance championed by senior management and includes a high degree of employee involvement and participation.”
Gildan’s implementation of ISO 45001 is underway in the Dominican Republic, which the company chose as the pilot region to realize its 2028 goal. Gildan said it will work towards implementing the standard across factories in its other areas, leveraging its learnings from the Dominican Republic.
The company has begun the initial phases of the process, or is carrying out gap assessments, to identify the actions to achieve the ISO 45001 certification in its other factories and said it is on track to reaching its target in the next five years.
Photo courtesy Gildan
