Sustainable Improvements to Headquarters

Expanding our sustainable impacts at our headquarters

Milliken’s corporate headquarters, the Roger Milliken Center (RMC), is home to nearly 1,000 Milliken associates and features an Innovation Gallery, Customer Center, research labs, a rapid prototyping center, the Milliken Guest House, and our nationally recognized arboretum.

The Milliken Arboretum consists of over 300 acres of botanical gardens specializing in trees. Once home to a peach orchard, the arboretum now focuses on noble trees; trees that will not reach their maturity for at least 20 years. Each year, new species of trees are added enabling the Arboretum to grow and change with each season. In 2021, new cultivars of oaks, magnolia, and styrax were added.

Specific features such as ponds, trails, and and open meadows encourage visitors to spend a few minutes or an afternoon exploring nature. Locally nicknamed "Milliken Park", this shared green space promotes greater health, well-being, and biodiversity within our local community.

The Milliken Arboretum goes beyond green beauty. We know that a mature tree will absorb more than 48lbs of CO2 over the course of one year and release oxygen in exchange. As home to over 3,000 trees with 250+ cultivars, the Arboretum is actively contributing to a healthier community in Upstate South Carolina.

arboretum

Milliken Arboretum

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LED upgrades at global headquarters

With original facilities constructed in 1957, our campus always requires updates to align with the latest efficiency technologies. From 2019-2021, RMC upgraded the 750,000 square feet building with LED lighting, water metering, HVAC smart controls, and onsite solar generation. These improvements reduced GHG emissions by 2,000 metric tons per year, or the annual emissions of 435 passenger cars.

In addition to energy efficiency, RMC expanded the onsite dining composting program to divert over 26,000 lbs. since 2019. Composting delays the construction of new landfills, conserving space for waste that cannot be diverted to sustainable options.

In 2022, the Milliken Guest House team started planting an organic garden to supply produce for our guests. The vegetable garden was installed using organic material from our arboretum. We source other ingredients for our Guest House from local farmers. Our Guest House Sous Chef, Nicholas Sanders, emphasizes our local relationships, "We need the farmers as much as they need us. It's about supporting and connecting with our community. We want to help them grow and we want to grow with them. " He also says "it's not just about sustaining the environment, it's about sustaining the community, too."

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Nick Sanders, Sous Chef, Milliken Guest House