How sustainable is Gant?
Gant mainly uses natural fibers of which cotton is its main material. It has a target in place for 100% sustainable cotton by 2020, and is currently using 36% more sustainable cotton sourced from the Better Cotton Initiative. Other materials the company uses are synthetic fibers, wool, leather down and feathers and a small percentage of plant-based fibers. Its down is certified by the Responsible Down Standard, but it does use leather and wool from non-certified sources.
Gant doesn’t track emissions in its supply chain. It’s a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and manufactures a percentage of its products in facilities that also use the Higg Environmental Module. The percentage of factories adopting the module has to increase in order to properly measure its environmental performance. This is an essential step towards measuring its true carbon footprint because the company signed the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, which committed Gant to a 30% reduction of carbon emissions by 2030. Gant has published a list of factories in its supply chain and became a member of the Swedish Chemical Group’s RISE project to effectively manage chemicals in its supply chain. The company aims to reduce its water usage in manufacturing by 50% by 2025.
The brand has a Code of Conduct and a partnership with Amfori BSCI to ensure labor conditions in its supply chain. It also works with other certified factories, but doesn’t publish about audit frequency and results. There’s no evidence that suggests living wages are being paid and more transparency is needed in general.
