Unifi honors partners in drive to recycle plastic bottles

Unifi Inc., the Greensboro, North Carolina-based maker of Repreve and a leading innovator in recycled and synthetic yarns, has announced the recipients of its sixth annual Repreve Champions of Sustainability awards, which recognize leaders in sustainable production and retail.

The global awards honor the transformation of single-use plastic bottles into new consumer products, saving them from the waste stream. Unifi’s Repreve system sources plastic bottles from communities and material recovery facilities and then processes them into various fibers, says the company.

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Unifi’s partners that have demonstrated a commitment to a more sustainable world include:

• San Francisco-based Williams-Sonoma Inc. and Deckers Brands, the Goleta, California-based maker of Teva sandals and Ugg shoes and slippers, have each helped transform more than 100 million plastic bottles into new products;
• American Eagle Outfitters, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is honored as the recipient of the Newcomer Award for transforming more than 25 million plastic bottles in a single year; and
• Sweden-based H&M received the Special Recognition Award for its use of Repreve Our Ocean fibers and yarns and has helped tranform more than 600 million plastic bottles.

In total, Repreve Champions of Sustainability recipients have helped transform almost 26 billion recycled plastic bottles into consumer products.

“We are thrilled to honor our 2023 Repreve Champions of Sustainability,” Unifi CEO Eddie Ingle says. “At Unifi, we deeply value our extraordinary partners who have demonstrated that sustainability is an integral part of their business. Together, we will continue to work with these companies to reduce negative environmental impacts and be good stewards of our planet and our future while inspiring our industry to do the same.”

Unifi says it has led industry innovation since 1971, and as the makers of Repreve, has transformed more than 35 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new apparel, footwear, home goods, and other consumer products.

The 2023 Repreve Champions of Sustainability awards will be presented to 33 brand and retail partners that have transformed 10 million or more recycled plastic bottles and 59 textile partners that have transformed 50 million or more recycled plastic bottles through the use of Repreve performance fibers.

“Partnerships are a vital element of innovation, and the foundation on which Unifi is built,” Unifi Senior Vice President of Global Sales Jay Hertwig says. “Our partnerships are mutually beneficial; we are helping brands and mills meet their sustainability goals while they help us continue to be a catalyst for a more sustainable future through impactful changes in their fiber choices.”