Milliken Launches Trees for All Initiative

LaGrange, GA, February 8, 2006--Milliken & Company, an international carbon negative manufacturer, has demonstrated its passion for stewardship for more than a century. In honor of Georgia’s Arbor Day on February 17, its LaGrange-based carpet business, Milliken Contract, is announcing a means to share the corporate fervor for foliage with an online tree planting initiative--Trees for All. “This initiative opens our corporate passion for trees and forests to our customers and suppliers. Milliken has managed forests for more than 40 years, and now plants trees at a rate of more than one million per year,” said Bill Gregory, director of sustainable strategies for Milliken. “Trees for All makes it easy to participate, and provides education on the benefits that trees bring to our Earth.” The success of the Trees for All pilot program launched at the 2005 International Greenbuild Conference & Expo, encouraged Milliken Contract to develop an ongoing initiative for customers and suppliers to experience its enthusiasm for trees. To plant a tree, participants visit milliken.com/treesforall. With a few clicks, a young seedling joins the forest. This virtual experience shows how trees improve our daily lives with online photographs and information. “To produce food, our trees absorb and lock away carbon dioxide, a global warming suspect. The green benefits start with a single tree and multiplyeach acre of forest sequesters about 2.5 tons of carbon annually,” Gregory noted. While the privately owned manufacturer has often remained quiet about its commitment to sustainability, the grounds of the headquarters are a nationally recognized arboretum and the 138,000 acres of corporate forests allow its global operations to maintain a rare carbon negative status. Milliken & Company’s environmental philosophy is driven from the top by Chairman Roger Milliken. He has championed excellence and environmental conservation for more than six decades. The transformation of its 650-acre headquarters from a peach orchard into one of the largest corporate green spaces in the Southeast began in 1969. Today the Milliken Arboretum offers hundreds of trees and plant specimens labeled with both botanical and common names for the benefit of Milliken associates, school groups and the community at large. It is open to the public and is used for many charitable events, including the annual Earth Run.

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