In the final episode of filmmaker Rod Murphy’s Crop to Campus minidocumentary on apparel sustainability, college students exploring the supply chain of Hanes Comfort Wash T-shirts visit HanesBrands’ corporate headquarters in North Carolina.

In the video released today, the students – Mamie Trigg of Austin, Texas; Katy Powers of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Sydney Parker of Raleigh, North Carolina – meet with senior leadership to share their insights about the experience and how HanesBrands’ commitment to sustainability measures up with millennials.

“Responsible manufacturing has always been a top priority for HanesBrands and providing full transparency into our operations is an important aspect of strengthening our commitments,” said Chris Fox, vice president of corporate social responsibility. “By having these conversations, we can continue to strengthen our environmental and social stewardship and make a more significant impact in the communities in which we live and work.”

When the documentary began filming last year, the students all were seniors at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, one of the preeminent textile programs in the country. All three were millennials with concerns about the future and were in sororities that ordered printed T-shirts for events many times a year.

The project kicked off in Garysburg, North Carolina, as the students visited Grant Farms, owned by fifth-generation cotton farmer David Grant. During their visit, the students talked about water conservation, limited pesticide usage and learned that sustainability starts early in the production process – before a seed for the raw material that goes into a HanesComfortWashT-shirt has even been planted.

From visiting a yarn-spinning facility in Tennessee, to HanesBrands’ state-of-the-art cut, sew and dye facilities in El Salvador, the students asked questions along their journey about the company’s responsible sourcing, global footprint and ethical practices.

HanesBrands partnered with The RiverRun International Film Festival to debut the minidocumentary on 8 October during the public launch of RiverRun’s virtual theatre. The screening will be available to view at no cost for two weeks as part of the partnership here: www.riverrunfilm.com/virtual-theater.

Murphy, a filmmaker from Asheville, North Carolina, was commissioned by HanesBrands to make the documentary to assess how well the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts resonate with the expectations of millennials and Generation-Z youth.

Watch Episode 7 of Crop to Campus...

Crop to Campus Episode 7 from We Are Brandwear United on Vimeo.

Crop to Campus Website

Hanesbrands Sustainability Website