How our t-shirts are produced
THE Gildan t-shirt we use is a classic choice, hard wearing and widely used in print-on-demand.
This choice impacts both the sustainability profile of the garment itself and in partnership with our print provider, Gelato, the overall manufacturing process that we would like to explain further.
Origin and cotton sourcing (Gildan)
The Gildan is a classic, midweight tee made of 100% US Cotton for solid colours. The key to the origin and sustainability of the raw material lies with Gildan's own supply chain practices.
Cotton Origin: Gildan states that the cotton used is ethically grown and harvested US cotton.
Manufacturing Origin: The t-shirt blank itself (the unstamped shirt) is manufactured in various locations across Gildan's vertically integrated supply chain, which includes countries like Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, and Mexico. The specific final country of origin is typically marked on the label.
Cotton Sustainability Program: Gildan is a member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol (USCTP). This protocol is an industry-wide program for cotton growers committed to tracking and verifying sustainability metrics, including:
Water usage
Greenhouse gas emissions
Soil carbon
Land use efficiency
Sustainability record (Gildan)
Gildan places a strong emphasis on its vertical integration, which means they own the entire manufacturing process from cotton spinning to finished garments.
Certifications: The Gildan is certified by Oeko-Tex Standard 100, which means it has been tested and found free from harmful substances, assuring consumer safety and quality.
Fibre Composition: We only use the solid colours that are 100% cotton.
Ethical Manufacturing: Gildan adheres to its own stringent program, which governs its labour and environmental practices across all its owned and operated facilities.
Local printing network (Gelato)
The origin of a Gelato t-shirt is not a single location but is determined by their global network of over 140 print partners across 32 countries.
Local-for-Local Model: Gelato's core principle is to "Sell globally, produce locally." When a customer places an order, their software intelligently routes the production to the print partner facility closest to the end customer.
Decentralized Manufacturing: This means the t-shirt blank is printed in a facility in the customer's region or country.
Gelato states that over 90% of all orders are produced locally (near the end destination), and over 85% of orders are produced in the same country where they are delivered.
Gelato's sustainability record is primarily built on their local, on-demand production model, which addresses some of the biggest waste and emissions challenges in traditional retail.