Gap Inc. Social Responsibility

What is Gap Inc.’s current presence and actions in Sri Lanka?

The conflict in Sri Lanka has been particularly hard on working Sri Lankans of all backgrounds and we are committed to providing them the opportunity to work and care for their families.  At Gap Inc., we strongly believe in fair and equitable working conditions and have employees based locally who speak the language and understand local cultures who ensure that our workplace standards are being upheld.  

Our team conducts regular and unannounced visits of factories with which we contract in Sri Lanka to ensure that our garments are produced in an ethical manner and ongoing efforts are made to improve the lives of the workers and their working conditions.  In addition, vendors making garments for our brands participate in various initiatives to assist Tamil refugees and are beginning to set up factories in places like Punani, a war-torn area, that have the potential to provide additional employment opportunities to the Tamil people.

What is Gap Inc.’s response to the recent news reports raising allegations about environmental and worker rights issues in Lesotho, Africa?

We take this situation very seriously. To read our full response to this issue, see our updated Lesotho garment factories statement. To view independent stakeholder responses to this issue, see ETI statement.

Has Gap Inc. always been committed to social responsibility?

When Doris and Don Fisher started Gap in 1969, they made sure giving back to communities was a core part of the company. Since that time, our commitment has expanded to include ethical sourcing, environmental responsibility, community investment and focusing on a great place to work for our employees.

You can learn more about our commitment in these areas by reading each section of our report:

Supply Chain
Environment
Employees
Community Investment

Why did you move your social responsibility reporting completely online?

This year, we’ve moved from a printed report to publishing our Social Responsibility Report completely online, making it more informative, timely, easy to update, interactive—and environmentally friendly. We have also added the functionality to build your own report. One of the biggest reasons we are no longer publishing a print report is to protect natural resources. Not printing a report saves trees – and is more aligned with our environmental strategy. 

In addition to sharing news on dozens of activities and programs, our site is designed to serve as a knowledge base and source of inspiration for our employees, customers, partners and communities around the world.

Where do you manufacture your products?  What criteria do you use to choose a location?

Our products are made in factories all over the world, for example, we use manufacturers in the United States, India, China, Guatemala and Lesotho - just to name a few. All factories that produce our branded products are required to go through our approval process before we place any orders. Our approval process evaluates a number of factors including the skills and equipment to do a quality job, on-time delivery of the product at a competitive price and vendors and factories that abide by law and our environmental and social requirements.  

What is your position on the use of child labor in the garment industry?

We do not tolerate child labor. It’s one of the most serious violations of our Code of Vendor Conduct. To gain and keep our business, vendors must commit to employing factory workers who meet the minimum legal age requirement in that country or the minimum age in our Code, whichever is higher*. We are very strict about enforcing this policy.

In the rare instances in which we do find an underage worker, we require that the worker be removed from the factory immediately, given access to schooling, paid an ongoing wage, and guaranteed a job at the factory as soon as he/she reaches the legal minimum working age.

* Notwithstanding the minimum age requirements of 15 years, if a country's minimum age has been set at 14 in compliance with the International Organization's Convention 138, that minimum age shall apply.

What do you do to ensure that the factory workers who make your products are treated fairly and with respect?

We strive to ensure our products are made in a safe, fair, legal and humane working environment. Through our comprehensive factory-monitoring and labor-standards program, we have more than 60 full-time employees around the world who are dedicated to improving the lives of factory workers, and the conditions in which they work.  

Do you have a code of ethics that employees and vendors must follow?  

Gap Inc. has an established Code of Business Conduct for employees and a Code of Vendor Conduct for factories that make our branded products.

The Code of Business Conduct ("Code") is designed to promote a responsible and ethical work environment for all Gap Inc. employees and directors. The Code contains guidelines on proper behavior in the workplace and whom you should contact if you have specific questions or concerns. The Code applies to all Gap Inc. employees and members of the board of directors and helps ensure that we do business in a responsible way that is consistent with our culture and values.

All factories that produce our branded products must abide by the standards outlined in our Code of Vendor Conduct. Our Code is based on internationally accepted labor standards — in particular, the International Labour Organization's core conventions — and clearly states that factories must comply with all local labor laws and regulations.  

What is your company doing to minimize its impact on the environment?

We’re committed to operating our business in a way that is mindful of long-term environmental sustainability. Our environmental strategy is focused on the three areas where we believe we can have the most significant impact: Energy conservation, Cotton/sustainable design, and Output/waste reduction (or, “ECO” for short). For more details about our efforts in these areas, please visit the Environment section of our online report.

Are any of your products environmentally sustainable?

Each of our brands has invested in sustainable product design and over the years has offered a variety of items made from organic cotton and other sustainable fibers. Banana Republic now offers the Heritage Collection, women’s clothing that incorporates the use of sustainable fibers such as organic cotton and hemp. Gap brand launched a denim collection in summer 2009 featuring information about our Clean Water Program on the inside pockets of jeans, and Old Navy recently introduced denim made from recycled material.

Do your employees participate in our community programs?

Gap Inc. is made up of individuals around the world who are passionate about doing what’s right.

We have employees who are personally committed to making a difference. In 2008, our employees volunteered more than 269,000 hours. Our store teams planned 723 volunteer events and doubled their contribution to their communities since 2007. The creativity of our employees also shines through in their community work. For instance, we have an Environmental Council made up of volunteers who meet on a regular basis to share their ideas on how we can make changes that help the environment. And we have a “10% team” made up of employees who dedicate 10% of their time to support our community investment work.  

How do you choose organizations to support? 

Gap Inc., like most businesses, has many assets that can positively impact the community. In our case, when we think about community investment, we consider our stores, marketing expertise, globally recognized brands, vendor relationships and, most importantly, employees — and their talent.  Leveraging our corporate assets enables us to have a deeper impact than we could if we just wrote a check. 

Gap Inc.’s community investment focus is on underserved youth in the developed world and women in the developing world because we see the greatest potential for impact in these areas based on our company’s assets.

- Learn more about our commitment to youth and our youth signature program This Way Ahead.

- Learn more about how we’re supporting women’s advancement and our women’s signature program, P.A.C.E.  

Learn more about sponsorship information and community support.

How can I get involved in Gap Inc.’s social responsibility efforts?

Sign-up to receive updates: We know that you have a choice in the companies you support and we want to hear your ideas. Sign-up to receive email updates and please share your feedback by sending us an email to social_responsibility@gap.com.

Facebook: Become a fan of the “Be What’s Possible” Facebook Page. Learn about opportunities to get involved and support your community.

Volunteer: Look for ways to volunteer in your local community. From time to time we organize events that our customers and employees can participate in to support the local communities where we do business.

Purchase responsibly: We encourage you to look for products that you love and support socially responsible companies and initiatives. Whether you’re purchasing Gap (PRODUCT) RED™,which contributes 50% of profits to The Global Fund to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa, or any product in our stores, you are supporting a company that cares for people and the planet. Learn more about our brands and some of their key programs.