Lining the avenue adjacent to our Floor Covering Design Center and purposefully nestled amongst other groves of trees are the Shawnee Brave Bald Cypress trees. These stately specimens stand proudly along their taller neighbors, underpinning the Milliken Arboretum in an unassuming yet ever-present manner.

It is these iconic trees that illustrate our foundational commitment to ethical business practices in today’s global marketplace. For Milliken, our history as a values-based business long precedes the 2000s and originated with our founders’ principal beliefs that doing business the right way is the right thing to do. Ethics and integrity permeate every facet of our company. In 2007, this behavior was called to the forefront with the announcement of Milliken joining the first-ever World’s Most Ethical Companies list, an honor presented by Ethisphere Institute. Since then, Milliken has been named to the World’s Most Ethical Companies list every year — one of 12 companies in the world who can claim that distinction.

While we are honored to be recognized in such a manner, Milliken’s long-held belief has always been that sound, respectful and responsible business practices would always translate into success for the company and in turn, the communities we call home. Working for an ethically minded company is increasingly a competitive differentiator in today’s workforce, and we are encouraged by the shift in the marketplace to emphasize trust in business dynamics. 

Throughout the past couple of decades, we have increased accountability by prioritizing a cross-functional, multi-disciplinary approach — with Milliken associates at the heart of it all — to maintain our reliably ethical culture. Their integrity each day forms the foundation on which we are able to serve our diverse industries and customer base as a company who leads with integrity. 

Our work in tending to our culture of ethics is never complete. We view it as a journey, not a destination, and we consistently monitor the evolving landscape of ethics to help strengthen our own. We know that, much like the Shawnee Brave Bald Cypress, our values inform and enhance our culture to perpetuate future growth.

Explore the series by decade:

•  The Changing Landscape of Innovation
•  The Changing Landscape of Innovation: From Peaches to Progress
•  The Changing Landscape of Innovation: Going Global in the ‘60s
•  The Changing Landscape of Innovation: Digital State of Mind in the ‘70s 
•  The Changing Landscape of Innovation: Manufacturing Excellence in the ‘80s
•  The Changing Landscape of Innovation: Sustainable Strides in the ‘90s