Unifi Reaches 10 Billion Plastic Bottle Recycling Milestone

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Greensboro, N.C.-headquartered Unifi, Inc. has recycled 10 billionth plastic bottles through its proprietary REPREVE technology. The announcement was made on the sidelines of America Recycles Day celebrations on November 14^th. Further, the company announced that it aims to achieve the target of recycling 20 billion bottles by 2020 and additional 10 billion bottles by 2022.

Kevin Hall, chief executive officer of Unifi, commended the commitment of its customers to provide earth-friendly products. The company plans to expand the portfolio of REPREVE-based performance products in order to achieve the ambitious future goals, he said. He reminded Americans to ensure that bottles are correctly put in bins so as to enable proper and safe recycling. Surprisingly data suggests that nearly 70% of plastics end up in landfills in the US. Hall also urged them to buy sustainable products.

Upon achieving the impressive milestone, Unifi announced its decision to recognize partnering customers with REPREVE Champions of Sustainability Awards. The awards will honor companies that demonstrate committed efforts to take responsible sourcing to next level and implement innovative sustainability strategies. The winners of this year’s awards will be announced at the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show to be held January 25-28, 2018 in Denver, Colorado.

Unifi uses in-house REPREVE technology to produce recycled fiber from used plastic bottles. The technology transforms PET bottle flakes into REPREVE fiber, which is then used in thousands of different fabrics and products by leading and influential brands in the sports, apparel, fashion, home, automotive and other industries across the globe.