Gant

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS 

• China
• India
• Bangladesh
• Turkey
• Portugal
• Tunisia

GANT does not provide a complete list of all production countries, but states that around 50 business partners were involved in product development and manufacturing in 2021. 

WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES 

GANT mainly produces in countries such as China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey, Portugal and Tunisia. These locations present different opportunities and challenges. In Asian countries, there are increased risks in terms of labour rights, fair wages and environmental standards. In contrast, production in European countries such as Portugal or Tunisia offers greater transparency and lower social risks.

The company does not have its own production facilities, but works with around 50 business partners. The relationship with these suppliers is based on a code of conduct that reflects international standards such as the OECD guidelines, ILO conventions and the UN Human Rights Charter. GANT demands compliance with social and ecological guidelines and, according to its own information, carries out regular audits. GANT uses the HIGG Facility Environmental Module (FEM) to assess the environmental and social performance of its production facilities and recognises standards such as WRAP, SEDEX, ICS and SA8000. Since 2022, 99% of products have been manufactured in factories that use HIGG FEM for their environmental reporting.

Since 2020, GANT has been working with the organisation WaterAid to provide communities in India with access to clean water through the ​‘Conserve Every Drop Project’. The partnership with the WWF also addresses environmental issues – particularly in the area of water conservation – along the supply chain.

MATERIALS

• Better Cotton
• Organic cotton
• Recycled cotton
• Cotton in the conversion phase
• Regenerative cotton
• Recycled polyester (Global Recycled Standard or Recycled Content Standard)
• Polyamide
• Mulesing-free wool
• Certified wool (e.g. according to the Responsible Wool Standard)
• Mohair (Responsible Mohair Standard)
• Down and feathers (Responsible Down Standard)
• Leather (by-product of meat production)
• Linen (preferably from certified European flax)
• Viscose (FSC and PEFC certified)
• Lyocell (FSC and PEFC certified)

GANT mainly uses natural fibres, in particular cotton, which accounts for around 77% of the total material input.

Strict animal welfare guidelines, including certifications, apply to animal fibres.

When it comes to synthetics, GANT uses recycled polyester, preferably with Global Recycled Standard or Recycled Content Standard. Polyamide is also used.

Overall, GANT is pursuing a clear strategy to switch to certified, more sustainable materials in line with an internally developed fibre ladder strategy. The aim is to procure all main materials from greater sustainable sources by 2025.

PACKAGING

In retail, the brand has been doing without plastic bags and plastic hangers in its bricks-and-mortar shops for over ten years.

In e‑commerce, both cardboard packaging and plastic bags are used. The cardboard boxes are made from FSC-certified paper, as are the shopping bags. The plastic bags used currently consist of 80% recycled plastic. GANT aims to produce all polybags for garments from 100% recycled plastic and to completely eliminate problematic and superfluous plastics.

No detailed information on packaging materials is provided in the supply chain, but this area is also subject to the Packaging Directive, which stipulates the use of renewable or recycled materials.

WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS

One of the brand’s key goals is to reduce the water footprint in production by 50% by 2025. This primarily relates to wet processes such as washing, dyeing and finishing, which, according to GANT, account for a significant proportion of energy consumption and environmental impact. Together with partners such as WaterAid, GANT is also campaigning globally for access to clean water, particularly in production regions such as India.

GANT has introduced a restriction list for chemical substances that is stricter than the EU REACH regulation. Among other things, this bans the use of PVC, biocides and silver ions in end products. The aim is to minimise health risks for consumers and avoid dangerous residues in the environment. The list includes chemicals that are used in the production process as well as those that could remain in the end product.

GANT uses the HIGG Facility Environmental Module (FEM) to assess its environmental performance. This is mandatory for all suppliers. Recognised standards such as GOTS, FSC, PEFC, GRS or RDS are also used for materials to ensure ecological responsibility.

Although GANT relies to a large extent on natural fibres (88% of materials), polyester and polyamide are also used. These materials harbour the risk of microplastic release, particularly during washing. Specific measures to avoid microplastic emissions are not mentioned.

The wet processes used are categorised as critical, particularly in terms of energy consumption and chemical pollution. It is emphasised that GANT works with suppliers who use more resource-efficient techniques. However, details of specific dyeing methods or alternative printing processes are not published.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN

Many of the products consist of mixed fibres. These material combinations make recycling at the end of the life cycle more difficult, as mixed textiles can only be recycled under difficult conditions. 

GANT offers a take-back service in collaboration with TEXAID. Customers can return used GANT items to the stores. These garments are then recycled or reused to avoid disposal in landfill sites. However, there is no specific information on what proportion of the items are actually recycled, in what fractions or for what purposes (e.g. fibre recovery vs. downcycling).

GANT uses recycled cotton and recycled polyester in certain products, but in small proportions so far (less than 1% for cotton according to its own information). 

GANT offers a lifetime repair service for jeans – customers can bring damaged jeans to the store, where they will be repaired free of charge. This measure promotes the lifespan of individual products and reduces new purchases.

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL

As part of its ​‘7 Rules’ initiative, GANT is pursuing several approaches to promote circular fashion consumption, particularly in the areas of repair, take-back and reuse.

GANT offers a free lifetime repair service for jeans. Customers can drop off their damaged jeans at a GANT store, where they will be repaired to extend the life of the garment. No information is available on whether this service also applies to other product categories or whether external repair workshops are involved. The repair approach is clearly focussed on extending use and is positioned as part of the 7 Rules (in particular ​‘Repair’ and ​‘Refresh’).

GANT operates its own take-back programme in cooperation with TEXAID. Customers can return used GANT clothing to the stores to give it a new purpose – either by reusing it (e.g. second-hand) or recycling it. However, GANT does not provide any information on the effectiveness of the programme (e.g. return rate, recycling rate or transparency of the processes). It remains unclear how high the proportion of clothing actually recycled or resold is, or whether downcycling also takes place.

GANT does not currently offer a rental model or a resale channel. An online second-hand platform or certified partnerships in the area of resale are also not known.

DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN

• China
• India
• Bangladesh
• Turkey
• Portugal
• Tunisia
• The GANT head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden.

Although GANT does not provide a complete list of all production countries, it states that it works with around 50 business partners. This suggests a complex, globally distributed supply chain that includes both Asian and European locations.

TRANSPORTATION 

• GANT pursues its own transport policy, which, according to its own information, aims to avoid air freight as far as possible and to carry out transports with the highest possible capacity utilisation. The logistics centres are located in several countries; the central distribution centre is in central Germany, from where regional warehouses are supplied. 
• Specific information on the type of delivery in online retail is not published. 

• Wool
• Mohair
• Down and feathers
• Leather

GANT uses various animal materials, including wool, mohair, down and feathers as well as leather. The countries of origin of these raw materials are not named, but GANT stipulates that all materials of animal origin may only be sourced as by-products of the meat industry. The company also undertakes to comply with the so-called ​‘Five Freedoms’ for animals, as defined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

GANT only uses mulesing-free wool and requires its suppliers to comply with better husbandry practices. Mohair may only be used if it is certified in accordance with the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). The same applies to down and feathers, which must be covered exclusively by the Responsible Down Standard (RDS); live plucking and force-feeding are prohibited. Leather is also only accepted if it was obtained as a by-product of the meat industry.

The brand has its own animal welfare guideline, which is part of its comprehensive code of conduct for suppliers. This not only sets out requirements for husbandry and conditions of origin, but also clearly defines exclusions: Fur, materials from endangered species, rabbit hair, angora, cage farming and non-certified mohair are expressly prohibited at GANT.

PRODUCT DESIGN 

GANT offers a wide range of products for men, women and children. The range includes shirts, knitwear, trousers, jackets, coats, accessories and occasionally homewear and underwear. The designs are strongly orientated towards a classic American style combined with European sophistication – timeless, sporty and sophisticated.

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES

GANT launches several collections per year, typically within the usual seasonal cycles (spring/​summer, autumn/​winter). Capsule collections and special lines also appear regularly. 

The brand takes part in seasonal discount campaigns, particularly during regular sales periods such as the winter sales or mid-season sales. Reduced products can also be found online from time to time.

GANT does not offer made-to-order or made-to-measure offers. All products are mass-produced and sold via bricks-and-mortar and digital retailers. There is no indication of customisable production or made-to-order items.

TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT

The GANT product pages generally only contain basic information about the respective items. This includes the material composition and care instructions. The description also contains information on fit, design features and functional details. In some cases, special reference is made to certain materials, but this remains the exception.

What is missing, however, is specific information on the origin and manufacture of the products. Production countries or names of factories are not mentioned on the product pages, and information on the origin of the materials used is only occasionally available. There is no traceability of individual items, for example via a digital product passport or a serial number. Customers are therefore unable to trace where and under what conditions their garment was produced. Information on the supply chain or responsible partners is also not disclosed individually at product level. Transparency is therefore limited to a general brand and sustainability level.

TRANSPARENCY OF THE PROCESS

GANT provides a comprehensive sustainability section on its website, in which basic information on its own goals, strategies, materials and partnerships is published. There are detailed explanations of the fibres used, certifications and initiatives such as the ​‘7 Rules’ and partnerships with organisations such as WaterAid, WWF and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. A supplier code of conduct and information on compliance with standards such as Amfori BSCI or HIGG FEM are also publicly available.

Despite this openness at a general level, transparency with regard to specific processes and supply chain structures remains limited. GANT does not provide the names or exact locations of the factories on the product pages, nor does it offer individual traceability at item level. The information on suppliers is therefore only bundled on a central overview page, but not directly linked to products.

An annual sustainability report with key social and environmental figures has not yet been published. Although various guidelines and declarations can be found on the website, these tend to be permanently valid positions rather than regularly updated, measurable progress reports. GANT therefore offers some insight into its corporate values and overarching sustainability strategy, but does not provide concrete, product-related transparency or binding reporting obligations on an annual basis.