diff --git a/config.mk b/config.mk
index 97782f200..a474ff0ba 100644
--- a/config.mk
+++ b/config.mk
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ RANLIB          ?=ranlib
 CABAL           :=cabal
 # IDRIS_ENABLE_STATS should not be set in final release
 # Any flags defined here which alter the RTS API must also be added to src/IRTS/CodegenC.hs
-CFLAGS          :=-O2 -Wall -std=c99 -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200809L -DHAS_PTHREAD -DIDRIS_ENABLE_STATS $(CFLAGS)
+CFLAGS          :=-O2 -Wall -std=c99 -pipe -fdata-sections -ffunction-sections -D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200809L -DHAS_PTHREAD -DIDRIS_ENABLE_STATS $(CFLAGS)
 
 # CABALFLAGS	:=
 CABALFLAGS      += --enable-tests
diff --git a/src/IRTS/CodegenC.hs b/src/IRTS/CodegenC.hs
index d0b356bfa..2e5554341 100644
--- a/src/IRTS/CodegenC.hs
+++ b/src/IRTS/CodegenC.hs
@@ -79,18 +79,22 @@ codegenC' defs out exec incs objs libs flags exports iface dbg
              libFlags <- getLibFlags
              incFlags <- getIncFlags
              envFlags <- getEnvFlags
-             let stackFlag = if isWindows then ["-Wl,--stack,16777216"] else []
+             let stripFlag = if isDarwin then "-dead_strip" else "-Wl,-gc-sections"
+             let stackFlags = if isWindows then ["-Wl,--stack,16777216"] else []
+             let linkFlags = stripFlag : stackFlags
              let args = gccDbg dbg ++
                         gccFlags iface ++
                         -- # Any flags defined here which alter the RTS API must also be added to config.mk
-                        ["-std=c99", "-D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200809L", "-DHAS_PTHREAD", "-DIDRIS_ENABLE_STATS",
-                         "-I."] ++ objs ++ envFlags ++
-                        (if (exec == Executable) then [] else ["-c"]) ++
+                        [ "-std=c99", "-pipe"
+                        , "-fdata-sections", "-ffunction-sections"
+                        , "-D_POSIX_C_SOURCE=200809L", "-DHAS_PTHREAD", "-DIDRIS_ENABLE_STATS"
+                        , "-I."] ++ objs ++ envFlags ++
+                        (if (exec == Executable) then linkFlags else ["-c"]) ++
                         [tmpn] ++
                         (if not iface then libFlags else []) ++
                         incFlags ++
                         (if not iface then libs else []) ++
-                        flags ++ stackFlag ++
+                        flags ++
                         ["-o", out]
 --              putStrLn (show args)
              exit <- rawSystem comp args
diff --git a/src/Util/System.hs b/src/Util/System.hs
index 658345aa7..37cfc771a 100644
--- a/src/Util/System.hs
+++ b/src/Util/System.hs
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ module Util.System( tempfile
                   , withTempdir
                   , rmFile
                   , catchIO
+                  , isDarwin
                   , isWindows
                   , writeSource
                   , writeSourceText
@@ -50,6 +51,9 @@ catchIO = CE.catch
 isWindows :: Bool
 isWindows = os `elem` ["win32", "mingw32", "cygwin32"]
 
+isDarwin :: Bool
+isDarwin = os == "darwin"
+
 -- | Create a temp file with the extensiom ext (in the format ".xxx")
 tempfile :: String -> IO (FilePath, Handle)
 tempfile ext = do dir <- getTemporaryDirectory