Joining with UNC Athletics, Unifi Inc. - the recycling firm which takes plastic bottles and turns them into yarn - is raising recycling awareness among the staff and students of colleges across America.
Repreve is a recycled fiber used in many of the world’s leading brands, including The North Face, Haggar, Patagonia, Ford and Volcom.
Since 2009, operator Unifi has been turning plastic bottles into Repreve-based products; collectively putting to use 2 billion plastic bottles during its lifetime.
As part of its college program - which began with the making of more than 300,000 graduation gowns for US students for the 2015 season, Repreve has tapped the University of North Carolina to spread more 'green'.
This Saturday, as WWD reports, Kenan Stadium will turn green when the Tar Heels face the Fighting Illini at noon in Chapel Hill during a game broadcast on ESPN2.
As part of the day, the student section will “Turn It Green” with t-shirts and rally towels made from Repreve recycled polyester fiber, and the UNC cheerleaders, dance team and Tar Heel mascot will wear lime green Repreve jerseys.
In support of recycled fashion, more than 20,000 plastic bottles will be recycled into Repreve-based items for the event.
“We see the younger generation as a great partner in helping us spread the word about the importance of recycling and choosing products made with sustainable materials like Repreve,” Roger Berrier, president and chief operating officer of Unifi, told WWD.
“Working with UNC Athletics gives us a great platform to collaborate with a large audience in order to help us raise the U.S. recycling rate, which is significantly less than other countries.”
Based in Denver, SustainTex uses Repreve-yarns for the cotton textiles. The 'Made In America' mill has a vision is lessen the environmental and social impacts of the textile industry by creating a market for environmentally superior fabrics - right here in the US.