GREENSBORO, N.C., Aug. 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Unifi (NYSE: UFI), global textile solutions provider, and the Wyndham Championship raised awareness around the importance of plastic recycling during the 79th annual Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C. on August 13-19.
Through the partnership, announced in April, Unifi was an official recycling partner of last week's PGA TOUR event and collaborated with the Wyndham Championship to encourage thousands of golf fans to be even more sustainable, on and off the course. This effort included a limited-edition line of Wyndham Championship hats and t-shirts, made from REPREVE recycled fibers, that sold out at the tournament's Ralph Lauren Merchandise Pavilion.
Unifi makes its REPREVE® performance fiber from 100 percent recycled materials, including plastic bottles, preventing billions of bottles from going into landfills each year. To date, Unifi has transformed more than 12 billion recycled plastic bottles into REPREVE products and has a goal to recycle 30 billion bottles by 2022.
Unifi partnered with Republic Services to place 300 co-branded REPREVE recycling bins throughout Greensboro's Sedgefield Country Club. With the participation of tens of thousands of Wyndham Championship attendees, an estimated 1.8 tons of plastic bottles were collected, recycled and diverted from landfills—equivalent to the weight of a mid-sized car or enough to create thousands of shirts and hats for future championship products.
"When consumers understand that just one plastic bottle can be transformed into a pair of golf socks, it truly brings the power of recycling to life," said Richard Gerstein, Unifi's executive vice president of global branded premium value-added products and chief marketing and innovation officer. "Like sports, recycling has the power to bring people together in support of a cause. People feel empowered when they're part of something bigger like creating a better tomorrow."
"Thinking of all the plastic bottles recycled at the Wyndham Championship as thousands of future tournament shirts and hats really puts recycling in perspective," tournament director Mark Brazil said. "We are grateful to Unifi for teaming with Republic Services in an effort to enhance our recycling efforts, and these numbers clearly show the effort was successful. We can't do too much to protect the environment, and we appreciate Unifi's support in this important area."
To highlight the sustainability story of many popular brands, Unifi also brought its REPREVE mobile tour to the tournament. Fans visited the tour, learning how to #TurnItGreen by experiencing firsthand the vast possibilities that result from reimagining plastic bottles. The tour educated fans of all ages about the importance of recycling and buying recycled, as well as showcased products from leading brands that use REPREVE, ranging from garments to accessories.
In addition to the array of branded products displayed in its tour, the company also collaborated with Sunbrella, Vapor Apparel and New Era Cap during the championship. Golf fans were able to participate in REPREVE's contest to win an Under Armour Sunbrella golf bag made with Sunbrella's leading edge fabrics and purchase Wyndham Championship merchandise made with REPREVE by Vapor Apparel and New Era Cap, further contributing to the fight against plastic waste.
With some estimates suggesting that Americans dispose of as much as 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour—70% of which end up in landfills—recycling is now more important than ever. The partnership between Unifi and the Wyndham Championship addressed these challenges, proving sustainability can be achieved when everyone comes together to recycle.
About Unifi:
Unifi, Inc. (NYSE:UFI) is a global textile solutions provider and one of the world's leading innovators in manufacturing synthetic and recycled performance fibers. The Company's proprietary PROFIBER™ technologies offer increased performance, comfort and style advantages, enabling customers to develop products that perform, look and feel better. Through REPREVE®, one of Unifi's proprietary technologies and the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, Unifi has transformed more than 12 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new apparel, footwear, home goods and other consumer products. Unifi continually innovates technologies to meet consumer needs in moisture management, thermal regulation, antimicrobial, UV protection, stretch, water resistance and enhanced softness. Unifi collaborates with many of the world's most influential brands in the sports apparel, fashion, home, automotive and other industries. For news updates from Unifi, visit https://unifi.com/news or follow Unifi on Twitter @UnifiSolutions.
About REPREVE®:
Made by Unifi, Inc. (NYSE:UFI), REPREVE® is the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, transforming more than 12 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new clothing, shoes, home goods and other consumer products. REPREVE is the earth-friendly solution to making consumers' favorite brands more environmentally responsible. Found in products from many of the world's leading brands, REPREVE fibers can also be enhanced with Unifi's proprietary technologies for increased performance and comfort. For more information about REPREVE, visit www.repreve.com, and connect with REPREVE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. REPREVE® is a trademark of Unifi, Inc.
About the Wyndham Championship:
Contested annually on the Donald Ross-designed course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Wyndham Championship was founded in 1938 and is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA TOUR excluding the Majors. Additional tournament information is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com. For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com. Stay connected with the Wyndham Championship through its social media channels, including the Wyndham Championship Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.
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SOURCE Unifi, Inc.
Halah Mohsen, halah.mohsen@edelman.com
