Sustainability: an end-to-end commitment

Long before ‘sustainability’ entered our everyday vocabulary, Milliken understood that a living enterprise and a living earth are inextricably linked.

In the early 1900s, we were already reusing packaging and textile materials in our operations and documented our first recycling policy. Well before the end of the last century, we developed a comprehensive plan to eliminate waste, improve product performance and preserve resources. This was many years before the foundation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the first clean air and water acts.

Today, we continually strive to create higher-performing products that contribute to a better world. This means innovating to help people everywhere while also making our environments more sustainable. We do this by designing and delivering products that are more efficient, last longer and make the best use of resources such as water, energy and raw materials.

Responsible manufacturing

We know that the success of our business is intrinsically linked to the success of the communities where we live and work. We believe in treating our associates , our communities and our planet with dignity and respect. Our approach to responsible manufacturing is a differentiator for our associates and our customers.

We take full responsibility for sustainable manufacturing from beginning to end. As well as addressing the waste that results from our production processes, we commit to doing business with the highest ethical standards and providing the safest working environment we can for our associates.

A dedicated Environmental Policy

Milliken takes its environmental responsibilities seriously. Our Environmental Policy – adopted in November 1990 – established a goal of zero waste to all media. Our objective is not just to reduce, but to eliminate all solid waste, hazardous waste and emissions.

The Environmental Policy guides environmental decision-making and calls for preferring all other means of disposal before using landfill. To date, the company diverts over 99% of its waste away from landfills, to places where it can be reused or recycled. In addition, we actively seek and use alternative energy sources to power our manufacturing plants, such as methane gas produced by local landfills.

All our associates are trained on the Environmental Policy. Cross-functional teams at each location are empowered to implement ways to reduce consumption and increase reuse and recycling of resources. Our environmental data is digitally collected and tracked for review and analysis by our management teams.

Continuous improvement

Day by day, we look at our manufacturing practices, product lifecycle and supply chain to assess our net impacts and find ways to reduce them. This has led to us to seek even greater efficiencies and develop entirely new technologies to avoid using harmful materials altogether.

As a mark of our dedication and attention to detail in this respect, all our manufacturing facilities are certified as conforming to the highest global standard for environmental responsibility: ISO 14001. This company-wide commitment to excellence is also the reason why Milliken is among the few companies in the US to have received the Malcom Baldridge Quality and TPM awards, as well as the European Quality Award, the British Quality Award and the Canadian Quality Award.

Responsible Care®Operational excellence