An initiative from Field to Closet is making the concept of American grown and made, 100 percent cotton scrubs a reality.

To highlight the initiative, the kickoff event took place April 9 at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture in Tifton, Ga., and will culminate this summer with 15 hospitals in rural Georgia receiving medical scrubs at no cost. Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp attended the kickoff event.

Through innovative, collaborative partnerships, this project utilizes Georgia-grown cotton from Deltapine® seed to reshore American manufacturing by revitalizing an end-to-end U.S. supply chain. The initiative's foundation is rooted in agriculture and establishes a Farmer GiveBack program to address a fundamental issue in the garment industry, which typically sees the brand or end seller with the most significant profit.

The GiveBack program recognizes the rebirth of a robust cotton garment industry isn't possible without the grower; therefore, this initiative is designed to ensure the grower is included financially by sharing in the profit of the goods sold.

For the initial project, Field to Closet worked with America Knits in Swainsboro, Ga., to source Deltapine seed cotton grown in Georgia, which is spun into yarn at Parkdale Mills in Rabun Gap, Ga., and woven into fabric in Lilesville, N.C., at Hornwood, before arriving at America Knits for the final production of the scrubs. An additional benefit for the medical scrubs, this fabric is treated with PROTX2® AV. This antimicrobial technology inhibits the growth of bacteria and has been shown in lab tests to destroy viruses.