Gildan Activewear Inc. said on Friday it has been named to Corporate Knights’ Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada list for a fifth consecutive year and has again been included in TIME’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies ranking, now in its third edition.
The apparel manufacturer, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange under the ticker GIL, said it is one of only two companies in the Textiles and Clothing Manufacturing sector to make the Corporate Knights list this year. Gildan also secured a spot among 19 Canadian companies on TIME’s global sustainability ranking and is one of just two Canadian firms recognized in the Apparel, Footwear & Sporting Goods industry subcategory.
Corporate Knights, a Toronto-based sustainability research and media organization, draws its Best 50 list from Canadian companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenues, spanning publicly listed firms, privately owned corporations, Crown corporations and credit unions, as well as members of the TSX/S&P Renewable Energy and Clean Technology Index. For the 2026 edition, the organization revised its methodology to weight three metrics equally: the share of a company’s investments and revenues that qualify as sustainable under its Sustainable Economy Taxonomy, and a sustainable-revenue momentum score tracking growth in sustainable revenues between 2022 and 2024. According to trade coverage of the rankings, Gildan placed 42nd on the list.
TIME’s World’s Most Sustainable Companies ranking, produced with data partner Statista, evaluated more than 5,800 of the world’s largest and most influential companies across over 20 sustainability-related performance indicators, including alignment with international reporting standards, emissions performance and progress against corporate sustainability goals. From that pool, spanning 43 countries and 20 industries, 750 companies were selected for the 2026 list based on revenue, market capitalization and public prominence, with rankings drawn from a composite score built on the underlying metrics.
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“Our consistent recognition from key rankings like Corporate Knights and TIME reflect the longstanding importance of sustainability within Gildan’s corporate strategy,” said Glenn J. Chamandy, President and CEO of Gildan, in a statement. “Thanks to the dedication of our teams across the business, I am confident that we will continue to deliver on our commitment to Making Apparel Better.”
Gildan, a vertically integrated manufacturer of activewear, underwear, socks and intimates, operates large-scale manufacturing facilities concentrated in Central America, the Caribbean, North America and Asia. The company markets a portfolio of company-owned brands including Gildan, Hanes, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, Bali, Maidenform, Playtex, GOLDTOE and Peds to wholesale distributors, screenprinters, embellishers, retailers, e-commerce platforms and global lifestyle brand companies.
The recognitions arrive weeks after Gildan published its 2025 Sustainability Report on May 13, which the company said highlighted continued progress toward its social and environmental targets. They also follow a June 16 short seller report targeting the company, which Gildan addressed in a separate statement affirming confidence in its business.
Corporate Knights has now included Gildan on its Best 50 list every year since 2022, while TIME’s sustainability ranking – now three years old – has featured the company since its inaugural 2024 edition, when Gildan was one of just 12 Canadian companies recognized. The expansion to 19 Canadian companies this year reflects the ranking’s broader growth, with TIME assessing a larger pool of global companies than in prior editions.
Gildan framed the back-to-back recognitions as validation of an ESG strategy embedded in its long-term business planning, which the company said integrates labour, environmental and governance practices across its operations and supply chain.