WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Walmart Foundation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors today
announced this year's U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund grant
recipients at the 84th Winter Meeting of the U.S.
Conference of Mayors in Washington,
D.C.
Five leading research and academic institutions were awarded a
total of $2.84 million in grants by
the fund for their work focused on innovations in textile
manufacturing. The fund, which focuses on the development of
domestic manufacturing with a specific goal of advancing the
production or assembly of consumer products in the U.S., will
provide a total of $10 million in
grants over the course of five years. This is the second round of
funding under this grant.
The grant recipients were selected for their ability to address
two key challenges that currently present barriers to increased
domestic manufacturing. These challenges are:
- Reducing the cost of textile manufacturing, including home
textiles and apparel, in the U.S. by addressing obstacles
throughout production.
- Improving common manufacturing processes with broad application
to many types of consumer products.
"Through these grants we hope to help remove the barriers to
revitalizing and growing U.S. apparel manufacturing, while creating
more sustainable production processes," said Kathleen McLaughlin, president of the Walmart
Foundation and chief sustainability officer for Walmart. "The U.S.
Manufacturing Innovation Fund is part of Walmart and the Walmart
Foundation's broader commitment to foster new economic growth and
opportunity and create stronger communities."
"America's mayors work every day to create good jobs for the
people who live in our cities and metro areas. The five projects
we've recognized today will lead to manufacturing jobs in their
respective cities and eventually, across the country," said
Tom Cochran, CEO and executive
director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. "We are proud to partner
with Walmart and the Walmart Foundation to support these important
efforts."
The 2016 Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund grant
winners are:
- Clemson University, Endorsed by
Greenville Mayor Knox H.
White, for energy and effluent reduction through innovative
dyeing of polyester fabrics
- Oregon State University,
Endorsed by Corvallis Mayor Biff
Traber, for environmentally conscious dyeing of fabrics
using continuous digital printing and drying of biopigment
inks
- University of Texas at Austin,
Endorsed by Austin Mayor
Steve Adler, for on-loom fabric
defect inspection using contact image sensors
- North Carolina State University,
Endorsed by Raleigh Mayor
Nancy McFarlane, for developing
a non-stop tying-in process/approach to improve weaving
efficiency
- Cornell University, Endorsed by
Ithaca Mayor Svante L. Myrick,
for recycling post-consumer textile waste and a raw material
substitute for new textiles
Support for the Innovation Fund is part of Walmart's broader
commitment to help revitalize U.S. manufacturing. In January 2013, Walmart announced a commitment to
buy an additional $250 billion in
products that support U.S. jobs by 2023.
These commitments represent a significant investment that will
help accelerate the pace of U.S. manufacturing. By making
production in the U.S. more cost-effective and efficient, the
global retailer believes it can bring American consumers more
American-made products and ultimately create jobs in communities
across the country.
For more information on Walmart's commitment to U.S.
manufacturing, please visit
http://corporate.walmart.com/global-responsibility/us-manufacturing.
About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT:NYSE) helps
people around the world save money and live better - anytime and
anywhere - in retail stores, online, and through their mobile
devices. Each week, nearly 260 million customers and members visit
our nearly 11,600 stores under 72 banners in 28 countries and
e-commerce websites in 11 countries. With fiscal year 2015 revenue
of $485.7 billion, Walmart employs
approximately 2.2 million associates worldwide. Walmart continues
to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and
employment opportunity. Additional information about Walmart can be
found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on Facebook at
http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/walmart.
About Philanthropy at Walmart
Walmart and the
Walmart Foundation are committed to helping people live better
through philanthropic efforts. By operating globally and giving
back locally, Walmart is uniquely positioned to address the needs
of the communities it serves and make a significant social impact
within its core areas of giving: Hunger Relief & Healthy
Eating, Sustainability, Career Opportunity and Women's Economic
Empowerment. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are leading the
fight against hunger in the United
States with a $2 billion
commitment through 2015. Walmart has donated more than 1 billion
meals to those in need across the country. To learn more about
Walmart's giving, visit foundation.walmart.com.
About The U.S. Conference of Mayors
The United States Conference of Mayors is the official non-partisan
organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There
are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today. Each city is
represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the
mayor. The primary roles of the Conference are to promote the
development of effective national urban/suburban policy; strengthen
federal-city relationships; ensure that federal policy meets urban
needs; provide mayors with leadership and management tools; and
create a forum in which mayors can share ideas and information.
www.usmayors.org
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SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors