Gildan, You're Not Gettin' Me

I received a flier in the mail today offering t-shirts with designs like "Save Our Planet" and "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". And they were cheap too! Only $7.99 for a Men's shirt. But I'm not falling for it. Yes, I believe in the message on the shirts offered (although I may not necessarily like the design), but the shirts are made by Gildan–you know, the company that makes your high-school jerseys, your college t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Gildan is one of the largest t-shirt companies in the world, grossing over $300 million last year. Nowhere on their site or in any of their corporate literature do they mention anything about their commitment to the environment, let alone do they use organic cotton or any other form of sustainable practices in their manufacturing or distribution processes. This is the one of the most egregious and blatant acts of greenwashing I could imagine: wear the message on the shirt while the shirt itself doesn't align with the message.

What's more, Gildan claims to be sponsoring "America Recycles Day". Um, shouldn't we be recycling everyday? And when did this become an official "Day"? I guess if a company as large as Gildan backs it, it's official. Hey, Gildan, do you recycle? Where do you put you're toxic chemicals used to bleach your shirts? How about the excess cotton? Are you recycling today?

Oh, and while they were at it, they sent the flier out on non-recycled, bleached, non-FSC certified paper. Way to top it off. Hypocrites.

The most important thing we can do is make the choice to purchase organic cotton. Find out where to do that in Brooklyn here. Find out more about organic cotton here. Share you're anger below by making a comment.