Having worked for close to 25 years within Gildan, across a wide range of leadership positions ranging from sales, marketing, product development, innovation, business development, and strategic planning, Garry Bell has developed a passion and a keen thirst for all things sustainable. As a self-admitted ‘life-long learner’, he has long advocated that truly sustainable and responsible practices are directly linked to the corporate success and profitability of most organizations. Gildan’s mission is “Making Apparel Better”, a statement strategically worded to not be defined as making better garments but rather one that is defined as making apparel in a better way that delivers value to every one of their stakeholders. Their goal is to create positive change and impact each and every day, through the actions they take, the decisions they make and the lives they touch.
We caught up with Garry and asked him to share his favourite SDG. His response:
“Wow. That’s a tough one. The strength of the SDG’s is that they collectively address the most material issues we face. Pulling one out as my favorite leaves so many things unaddressed. I believe that SDG9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, can act as an important enabler for many of the other SDGs, in an era of ever-increasing digitalization of our world. Substantive progress on this SDG can make eradication of poverty, access to quality education, clean energy and ensure strong and effective partnerships are formed. I also think it’s an SDG that can very quickly access the capital required to make substantial progress quickly.”
-Garry Bell