Montreal, Quebec, January 29, 2019 – Gildan Activewear Inc. (GIL: TSX and NYSE)] has joined Ethisphere’s Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA); a global community of companies who recognize the value of ethical leadership and who are working together to move forward with ethics and integrity.

“Being part of a collaborative community focused on sharing of best practices for ethics and compliance will allow us to bring the best of what we are doing as well as our challenges to the table and learn from others across a broad spectrum of industries," said Lindsay Matthews, Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Gildan Activewear. “Good compliance practices simply make for better businesses.”

“BELA brings together a community of hundreds of companies that are committed to building an environment in which best practices are shared,” said Erica Salmon-Byrne, Executive Vice President and Executive Director, BELA. “Research—including Ethisphere’s—shows how organizations with a strong ethical culture regularly outperform their peers,” said Salmon-Byrne. “We are proud to partner with our members to develop new platforms that will help raise the ethical standards at companies in the region and globally.”

As members of BELA, Gildan will have access to information related to best practices of major corporations. BELA members also have the ability to benchmark their ethics and compliance program and practices to those of the World’s Most Ethical.

“Companies are no longer pursuing compliance as a legal prerequisite demanded by stakeholders, they are realizing how important it is to pursue value-based compliance that is in line with their corporate ethos,” says Matthews. “Our Company’s commitment to ethical business practices filters into every aspect of what we do and contributes to a strong corporate culture based on trust and transparency.”

The Business Ethics Leadership Alliance was founded by Ethisphere Institute, post the financial crisis of 2008. Founding members include General Electric, PepsiCo., Walmart, Jones Lang La Salle, and many other multinational organizations who came together to collaborate and share best practices. BELA’s membership has grown to an over 250 member community of companies who recognize the inherent value of organizations promoting ethical leadership and world-class compliance culture. To learn more about BELA, visit http://bela.ethisphere.com.

About Gildan

Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel which markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Gildan®, American Apparel®, Comfort Colors®, Gildan® Hammer™, Gold Toe®, Anvil®, Alstyle®, Secret®, Silks®, Kushyfoot®, Secret Silky®, Therapy Plus™, Peds® and MediPeds®, and under the Under Armour® brand through a sock licensing agreement providing exclusive distribution rights in the United States and Canada. Our product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, hosiery, and legwear products sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters or embellishers, as well as to retailers that sell to consumers through their physical stores and/or e-commerce platforms. In addition, we sell directly to consumers through our own direct-to-consumer platforms. Gildan owns and operates vertically integrated, large-scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America, the Caribbean Basin, North America, and Bangladesh. With over 50,000 employees worldwide

Gildan operates with a strong commitment to industry-leading labour and environmental practices throughout its supply chain in accordance with its comprehensive Genuine Responsibility™ program embedded in the Company's long-term business strategy. More information about the Company and its corporate citizenship practices and initiatives can be found at www.gildancorp.com and www.genuineresponsibility.com, respectively.

About Ethisphere

The Ethisphere Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust, and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition program, provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA), and showcases trends and best practices in ethics with Ethisphere Magazine. Ethisphere’s reach continues to expand with events hosted around the globe bringing together thought leaders and practitioners through local roundtables and global summits. More information about Ethisphere can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.