In recognition of our commitment to innovative, forward-thinking products and practices, Milliken & Company was honored to accept the SC Branded Legends Award, given by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and The Brand Leader earlier this month. The Legends Award recognized Milliken & Company as a community-minded company dedicated to advancing innovation, and perpetuating the values of hard work and giving back.

“It is a point of pride for our entire company to receive this prestigious award,” says J. Harold Chandler, CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board of Milliken & Company. “There is no higher honor than to be recognized by our home state for both our excellence in innovation and our dedication to our community. This award encapsulates perfectly what it means to be a part of Milliken & Company.”

A designation like this doesn’t come about overnight. For more than 150 years, we imagined, shaped, and discovered ways in which we can enhance daily life – from developing innovative products to creating meaningful opportunities for our associates and our communities. In celebrating this special honor, we find that reflecting on milestones, which helped us reach this point in our history, only seems fitting:

• 1901: First Recycling Policy  Milliken begins reusing packaging and textile materials in its operations and issues its first recycling policy. This initiative takes place voluntarily, 70 years before the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Today, more than 97% of Milliken’s solid waste is recycled worldwide.
• 1944: First Air-Conditioned Textile Plant  Excelsior Mill is the first textile plant built without windows and equipped with air-conditioning and fluorescent lighting, becoming the blueprint for the industry.
• 1945: Milliken Research is Formed  Milliken organizes its first research team, composed of six engineers and six scientists working together in a brick bungalow in Clemson, South Carolina.
• 1958: Milliken Headquarters Moves to Spartanburg  Milliken headquarters is moved to Spartanburg, with a dedicated research center on campus.
• 1966: VISA® Performance Fabric  Research efforts in the early 1960s lead Milliken scientists to discover polymers that give fabrics many notable performance capabilities, including improved soil release, reduced soil re-deposition, and enhanced wicking. The resulting VISA® technology is still in use today and serves as the backbone for many Milliken fabrics. VISA® fabrics are used in various products, from athletic wear, to table linens, and even Major League Baseball® hats.
• 1973: Milliken invents Millitron®, an industry leading, high-resolution digital printing technology for carpets
• 1998: Founding Member of USGBC  Recognizing the importance of promoting green building practices, Milliken becomes a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. Today, many Milliken facilities, including its headquarters, are registered for LEED for existing buildings, while their floor covering products help companies achieve LEED certification.
• 2007-2017: World’s Most Ethical Companies®  Milliken is recognized by Ethisphere® Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies®, a recognition Milliken will receive for 11 consecutive years.
• 2012-2016: R&D 100 Awards  Milliken receives the coveted R&D 100 Award for multiple innovations that redefine industry norms, some of which include: Concrete Cloth^TM, a cement-impregnated cloth allowing for unique cement applications; ASSIST Silver, a low-adherent burn care dressing that optimizes ease of use for the clinician and minimizes patient pain; Milliguard® AOX-1, an antioxidant designed to help the automobile industry meet increasingly rigorous vehicle indoor air quality standards; and Westex ShieldCXP^TM, a revolutionary fabric for research laboratory coats that is both flame resistant and chemical splash resistant
• 2017: America’s Safest Companies Hall of Fame  Milliken is the first company inducted into the EHS Today America’s Safest Companies Hall of Fame, after being named one of America’s Safest Companies for the third time.

Our past helps to position our future, and in being named the inaugural SC Branded Legends Award recipient, we are uniquely positioned to strive for the next level of innovation within our home state. No matter where the next 150 years lead us, we know the values of integrity, innovation, excellence, sustainable citizenship, and community engagement will continue to thrive at Milliken.