Milliken Donates more than 23,000 Reusable Gowns to Local School Districts

Milliken & Company, a diversified international manufacturer headquartered in South Carolina, teamed up with local schools to provide Milliken Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) reusable fabric gowns to teachers and faculty. These gowns, donated as part of the company’s initiative to support the communities where its associates live and work, will outfit teachers with a reusable gown to help alleviate health concerns and financial burdens of educating students in-person. As part of the company’s manufacturing pivot to meet the demands of the ongoing pandemic, Milliken now manufactures and retails reusable Level 1 PPE gowns made with Perimeter™ medical fabric that are typically used in healthcare settings.

“As our communities prepared to transition back to in-person learning, we recognized the immediate need for PPE to support a safe environment for our children and their teachers,” shares Chad McAllister, president of Milliken’s Textile Division. “

We wanted to donate our products to make a difference.”Milliken is donating 23,040 gowns to 15 school districts in Upstate South Carolina—Cherokee County School District, Union County Schools, Spartanburg County School Districts One through Seven, Greenville County Schools and Anderson School Districts One through Five. Each district will distribute gowns to faculty and staff for general protective use within their facilities. 

“Community and business partnerships have always been the cornerstones of school district success, more so now than ever before,” states Dr. Ronald W. Garner, Spartanburg District One superintendent and chairman of Spartanburg County Superintendents. “Milliken and Company is an important partner to Spartanburg County schools, and we are thankful for their generous donation of PPE that shows their investment in the health of our school communities"

“Union County Schools is very appreciative of Milliken & Company for donating their protective gowns to our district,” adds Eric Childers, director of administration for Union County Schools. “COVID-19 has proved to be  extremely challenging to handle for all schools, in particular districts like ours, where funding is limited. We feel very fortunate to have a company like Milliken reach out to us and provide protective equipment during this pandemic for our nurses, special education workers and teachers.”

Milliken’s Level 1 PPE gowns, domestically sourced and produced, extend the life of a traditional disposable gown from single-use to a reusable garment. Able to be laundered 25 or more times, these gowns offer critical protection for a reasonable economic investment—substantially extending PPE inventory lifetimes. To learn more about Milliken’s pivot in textile manufacturing, visit medicalfabrics.milliken.com.

Materials science expert Milliken & Company knows that a single molecule has the potential to change the world. With innovations spanning textiles, flooring, specialty chemicals, and healthcare, Milliken solutions answer the call of some of the world’s greatest challenges.Named to the World’s Most Ethical Companies list by Ethisphere Institute for 14 years, the company continues to meet the moment with an unwavering commitment to sustainably solving problems for its customers, industries and communities. Eight thousand associates across 46 locations globally rally behind a common purpose: to positively impact the world for generations. Discover more about the curious minds and inspired solutions at Milliken at www.milliken.com, and join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.