(LaGrange, GA) Milliken Carpet announces that it has been selected to participate in the Industry Partners demonstration program for the first phase of Montana State University's EPICenter project. The Earth Square? carpet tiles installed in the Lewis Hall computational biology laboratories, which opens July 2000, were renewed for the first time after more than 10 years of wear at Chevron in San Ramon, California.

The EPICenter plan is for the development of a National ReSource Center to assess green building technologies in a program supported by the U.S. Congress and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Highlights include research and development; a green library; development of multi-disciplinary environmental projects for Montana State University students; and technology transfers to foster economic development in the state and region.

The LaGrange, Georgia, company developed the one-of-a-kind Earth Square renewal process to give businesses and organizations that are renovating an alternative to disposing old carpet in landfills. Renewing carpet is the optimum environmental alternative because it saves resources associated with replacing or recycling carpet and attacks the problem of an estimated 4 billion pounds of carpet sent to landfills annually.

"Milliken Carpet exceeded the requirements for our RFP, and we were impressed with the company's commitment to the environment and life cycle approach to product selection," said EPICenter Executive Director Kath Williams. "In addition, the renewed carpet tiles were a cost effective choice, an important consideration at a public institution."

Even laying the carpet is very earth friendly as a water-based adhesive that contains no solvents is used. The company also offers an environmentally friendly preventative maintenance program, MilliCare that removes particulates, allergens and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

"Milliken has always taken a pioneering role on environmental issues, and it's exciting to be involved with a state-of-the-industry project like the EPICenter," says Steve Hoffmann, Earth Square market manager.

The Earth Square program departs from traditional recycling efforts that shred carpet for secondary markets, because the old carpet is actually renewed and reused in a closed loop recovery program. The used 18-inch or 36-inch square carpet tiles are sent to Milliken for a three-step renewal process, where they are super-cleaned, re-textured and restyled using updated carpet designs. The tiles are then installed for another life cycle, saving approximately 50 percent compared to the cost of new modular carpet.

Milliken Carpet, based in LaGrange, GA, USA, is a division of Milliken & Company, an international textile and chemical manufacturer. Milliken & Company is based in Spartanburg, SC, USA, and is one of the world's largest privately held companies with more than 16,0000 associates and over 65 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Milliken Carpet is the sole provider of Earth Square, the only reusable carpet program on the market. Earth Square has won the Evergreen Award from the U.S. General Services Administration and the Renew America and Keep America Beautiful awards. The Buy Recycled Business Alliance, a partnership of the National Recycling Coalition also named it the Most Outstanding Innovative New Product.

FACT Materials selected for the EPICenter underwent careful scrutiny for environmental standards not only for the end product, but also in the manufacturing process. Industry Partners participating in the demonstration project include Milliken Carpet, Fisher Hamiliton, Inc., ISEC, AFM Paints, Owens Corning, Herman Miller, and Forbo Industries. ###

Nancy Rogers BOLDface Communications 404.231-5789 nancyrogers@mindspring.com