Latest news with #REPREVEChampionsofSustainability
Forbes
11-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
UNIFI, Inc. Celebrates Brands Investing In Recycled Fibers
With more than 6.5 billion gallons of water saved and 41.4 billion megajoules of fossil fuel ... More depletion avoided, UNIFI's sustainability movement is gaining traction not just among consumers, but within entire retail supply chains. In the sustainable fashion space, companies like U.S.-based UNIFI, Inc., the makers of recycled performance fiber REPREVE®, continue to make strides in the circular textile manufacturing space. Thus far, they've taken in more than 42 billion plastic bottles and turned them into recycled fiber that can be used for various consumer products. The company is on track to recycle 50 billion bottles by December 2025 and 1.5 billion t-shirts worth of textile waste by 2030. REPREVE's growing footprint in the retail world is notable: in 2024, REPREVE accounted for 32% of UNIFI's revenue, with a target of increasing that number to more than 50% by 2030. With more than 6.5 billion gallons of water saved and 41.4 billion megajoules of fossil fuel depletion avoided, UNIFI's sustainability movement is gaining traction not just among consumers, but within entire retail supply chains. The retailers who use these recycled fibers in apparel, footwear, home goods, and other applications are investing in sustainability for the long term. To celebrate its brand partners investing in recycled materials, UNIFI recently announced the winners of its 2025 Champions of Sustainability awards. This year's honorees collectively helped divert more than 42 billion plastic bottles from landfills, simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.3 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide. The eighth annual awards spotlighted brands driving sustainable innovation across the retail and textile industries. Key partners such as Nike, Target, Walmart, and Polartec received the Billion Bottle Award for recycling over one billion bottles through their supply chains. Newcomers like Free Country and Swannies were celebrated for surpassing the 10 million bottle milestone, while New Balance and Signet Mills were honored for their commitment to domestic manufacturing. 'Mainstreaming sustainable and circular solutions requires collaboration across industries, supply chains, R&D, and technology,' said Eddie Ingle, CEO of UNIFI. 'This year's REPREVE Champions of Sustainability are pushing boundaries and setting new benchmarks for environmental responsibility.' Zooming out, it's clear there are still many more opportunities for expanding investment in recycled materials. The 2024 Circularity Gap Report (Textiles) found that only 0.3% of the 3.25 billion tons of resources consumed each year to produce items within the global textile industry come from recycled resources. Operators like Ali Rose van Overbeke, who currently serves as the Director of Marketing at Kadeya but previously founded Genusee, a company that formerly specialized in manufacturing eyeglasses made from recycled plastic bottles, know how challenging this path can be. She explained that because recycling is a for-profit industry, it's subject to the same market forces as any other: supply and demand, margins, and the need to optimize for return on investment. 'In the best-case scenario, materials are collected, cleaned, sorted, and baled. Those bales are sold to processors, who mechanically or chemically break them down into pellets, flakes, or fibers. Those then get sold to companies to be turned into final goods—like fabric, eyewear, or packaging,' she said. However, she went on to explain that if brands aren't buying those recycled materials, processors won't buy from recyclers, and recyclers have no incentive to collect or sort them in the first place. The entire system has to work together, collectively, toward the end goal of increased sustainability. For UNIFI, with its more than 3.1 million square feet of manufacturing and sorting facilities based in North Carolina as well as direct operations in Colombia, El Salvador, and Brazil, the infrastructure for apparel brands committed to investing in sustainable materials presents an opportunity for brands to invest in more responsible production in 2025 and beyond.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UNIFI®, Makers of REPREVE®, Announces Eighth Annual Champions of Sustainability Award Winners
Global brand, retail, and textile partners, including NIKE and Target, receive honors for their sustainability efforts and growing adoption of textile-to-textile recycling GREENSBORO, N.C., April 03, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UNIFI, Inc. (NYSE: UFI), the makers of REPREVE® and one of the world's leading innovators in recycled and synthetic yarns, celebrates leading brands who helped contribute to recycling over 42 billion plastic bottles and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by avoiding 1.3 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalents. The eighth annual REPREVE Champions of Sustainability awards recognize brands driving sustainability including New Balance, Free Country, Swannies, and Walmart. For the first time, the awards honor advancements in textile-to-textile recycling, including pioneers Marmot and Faherty for their contributions to circularity. Key award winners include: Billion Bottle Award: Nike, Target, Walmart, Polartec, Texhong - Each recycling 1 billion+ bottles Newcomer Award: Free Country, Swannies for surpassing 10 million bottles recycled Made in the USA Award: New Balance, Signet Mills for their commitment to crafting items with REPREVE in the USA Sustainable Fabric Innovation: Culp for REPREVE mattress ticking Commitment to Circularity: Marmot for its consistent work in incorporating sustainable technology in high performance apparel Sustainable Packaging: Malibu C for using REPREVE Our Ocean® resin REPREVE Takeback™ Early Adopter: Faherty for using 50% fabric waste-based REPREVE polyester "At UNIFI, our aim is to mainstream the use of sustainable and circular solutions. And this means collaboration across industries, supply chains, R&D, and technology," said Eddie Ingle, CEO of UNIFI. "The 2025 REPREVE Champions of Sustainability are setting new standards in environmental responsibility, driving meaningful change, and adopting new solutions to enact greater impact. We celebrate our partners' leadership and look forward to advancing sustainability together." UNIFI's FiberPrint® tracer technology and life cycle assessment (LCA) data verify the impact of REPREVE adoption. The contribution of REPREVE Champions of Sustainability has reduced fossil fuel depletion by 41.4 billion megajoules (MJ) equivalent and freshwater consumption by 6.5 billion gallons as compared to using virgin polyester. For the full list of honorees, visit *The REPREVE savings data is based on an expansive, peer reviewed LCA completed in 2023 focusing on multiple natural UNIFI products and supply chains. UNIFI's 2023 LCA was independently produced based on ISO 14040 and 14044 and third party reviewed according to ISO 14044 following ISO 14071. About UNIFI, Inc. UNIFI, Inc. (NYSE: UFI) is a global leader in fiber science and sustainable synthetic textiles. Using proprietary recycling technology, UNIFI is a pioneer in scaling the transformation of post-industrial and post-consumer waste into sustainable products. Through REPREVE®, the world's leading brand of traceable, recycled fiber and resin, UNIFI is changing the way industries think about the materials they use – and reuse. A vertically-integrated manufacturer, the company has direct operations in the United States, Colombia, El Salvador, and Brazil and sales offices all over the world. UNIFI envisions a future where circular and sustainable solutions are the only choice. For more information about UNIFI, visit About REPREVE® Made by UNIFI, Inc. (NYSE: UFI), REPREVE® is the global leader in recycled performance fibers and resins. Using proprietary recycling technology, REPREVE leverages multiple waste sources, including single-use plastic bottles, ocean-bound plastic, textile waste, and recycled yarn. REPREVE has transformed more than 40 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber, powering globally scalable products for world-leading brands. Made traceable with FiberPrint® technology and certified by U-Trust®, REPREVE spans sports apparel, fashion, home, automotive, construction, transport, military, medical and packaged goods. For more information about REPREVE, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Factory PRrepreve@
