On Social Responsibility
Our approach to corporate social responsibility is based on our firm belief -- continuously expressed by all Hanesbrands employees -- that doing the right thing is the basis for a successful business.
We honor this commitment by:
- Ensuring high standards for employees in the areas of conduct, compliance and business ethics. We have a formal training program and ongoing communications that require documented participation from all employees.
- Providing clean, safe, secure and rewarding workplaces for more than 45,000 employees that operate consistently with internationally recognized standards. We hold ourselves, and our contractors, to the same high standards through an extensive facility compliance auditing program.
- Offering consumers the safest, highest quality products. Our strict protocols for safety allow us to meet or exceed all regulations governing the apparel industry.
But that’s only a small part of who we are.
We are also active participants in the communities where we manufacture and market our great products. From the United States to El Salvador to Vietnam, our company is working with communities to improve schools, healthcare systems and community services. Our aim is to change lives by meeting the fundamental needs of the communities in which we live and work.
Our employees also help us identify and support community efforts in education, health and welfare, community infrastructure and disaster relief. In addition to donations, employee volunteerism is an integral part of our culture.
Living this commitment is central to our young company. We first saw this in October 2007, when we decided to cut back on expenses from our worldwide leadership meeting and use the savings to repair, paint and clean an orphanage in Hogar San Rafael, Honduras, near a number of our manufacturing facilities. In addition to the company’s financial commitment, more than 200 Hanesbrands employees from the United States, Canada, El Salvador and Honduras volunteered to help rehabilitate the orphanage.
We were proud to see the dedication of people across our company to helping the children in Hogar San Rafael simply because it was the right thing to do. And it is just one of many examples of our contributions across the world.
We are only getting started. We invite you to learn more about our community support and social responsibility efforts across the globe – from North America to the Caribbean Basin to Central America to Asia.
Chris FoxVice President, Corporate Social Responsibility
Community Initiatives
Hanesbrands helps meet the fundamental needs of communities where we operate to enhance the lives of our employees, their families and their neighbors. Our support includes:
- Immediate disaster relief – We stand close to our team and our partners in times of need. Most recently, we provided immediate financial and in-kind support in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, where we worked with CARE and others to get needed aid to desperate people. We also have worked with the American Red Cross to provide support in China, Philippines, the Dominican Republic and other places in response to natural disasters.
- Strengthening health care – We have made immediate and lasting contributions to communities through improvements in their health care systems. We have renovated wings of hospitals, rehabilitated ambulances, and conducted numerous community health fairs.
- Building communities – In El Salvador, we have a unique partnership with Rotary International to provide significant assistance to the community of San Juan Opico. Rotary and Hanesbrands use the proceeds from selling our donated scrap materials – approximately $40,000 annually – to fund community projects. We have restored running water, refurbished a school, and provided seeds and fertilizer to communities for family farming.
- Supporting our hometown – Hanesbrands has been a vital part of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for more than 100 years. We are active in many areas of our hometown, playing a role in arts enrichment, education, and health and welfare.