Posted October 20, 2014
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Unifi, Inc.’s REPREVE® recycled fiber brand and the official recycling and sustainability partner of the Detroit Lions has teamed up with Matthew Stafford to kick off their “Make The Smart Throw” campaign.
In America, 70 percent of plastic bottles end up in landfills, oceans and parks, so this initiative encourages fans to toss their plastic bottles into recycling bins instead of trash cans. REPREVE is a fiber made from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles, and the “Make the Smart Throw” campaign is the latest component of the brand’s #TurnItGreen initiative aimed at raising recycling awareness.
“As an athlete, I’m constantly drinking from disposable plastic bottles,” Stafford, the Lions quarterback, said. “I recently learned that when those bottles are recycled, with the help of REPREVE, they can be turned into cool
Detroit Lions QB teams up with Unifi’s REPREVE®
things we use every day. For my team and fans, it’s important that I make the smart throw on and off the field. I am excited to be a part of this initiative to create awareness around the importance of recycling and to encourage fans to also make the smart throw by recycling their plastic bottles.”
In 2013 alone, REPREVE transformed more than 740 million recycled plastic bottles into fiber, and since 2009 REPREVE has recycled more than 2 billion plastic bottles into products made by some of America’s favorite brands, including Ford, Haggar, Polartec, Quiksilver and Volcom. In an effort to recycle even more bottles, REPREVE and the Lions are calling on fans to help the team reach its target 100 percent recycling rate during the 2014 season. To help achieve this goal, they have added 500 REPREVE-branded recycling bins throughout Ford Field, and feature in-stadium PSA’s with Stafford highlighting the importance of recycling.
Stafford is also challenging fans to demonstrate how they “make the smart throw” by encouraging consumers to submit trick-shot videos that show them throwing plastic bottles from an incredible distance or crazy height, throwing blindfolded or even behind-the-back into recycling bins. The top 10 entries displaying the most creative recycling shots will be featured on REPREVE®’s Facebook for fan voting. The grand prize winner will receive a trip for two to the Detroit Lions December 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including an opportunity to meet Stafford and compete against him in a head-to-head “Make The Smart Throw” bottle throwing contest, which will be featured in front of 65,000 fans on the video screen at Ford Field and in various social channels. Videos should be submitted to facebook.com/repreve and should be tagged with #makethesmartthrow and #repreve.
During the Dec. 7 game, REPREVE will take over Ford Field as part of its #TurnItGreen efforts, providing all attending fans a REPREVE-based #TurnItGreen towel, each made from three recycled plastic bottles. REPREVE will recycle a total of more than 200,000 plastic bottles into various products for the game. For more information on REPREVE and “Make The Smart Throw” contest rules, please visit www.REPREVE.com, or visit the REPREVE Facebook page www.facebook.com/REPREVE. To learn more about the Lions’ partnership with REPREVE, please visit www.detroitlions.com/turnitgreen.html.