Posted November 10, 2014
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Greensboro, N.C.-based-Unifi, Inc. joins the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) as an official partner of UNC Athletics.
With a goal of driving awareness and education about the importance of recycling among students, faculty, fans and alumni, UNC Athletics becomes the first collegiate athletics program to join REPREVE’s #TurnItGreen™ movement. REPREVE is made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. The initiative will branch across UNC Athletics with REPREVE-based activations at major sporting events, and was secured by UNC Athletics’ exclusive multimedia rights holder, Learfield Sports’ Tar Heel Sports Properties.
REPREVE is a leading recycled fiber brand and is used in many popular brands, including Ford, Haggar, Polartec, Quiksilver and Patagonia. On December 3, REPREVE will kick off its efforts with UNC by turning the men’s basketball game at the Dean E. Smith Center green. During this initial event, more than 45,000 plastic bottles will be recycled into REPREVE-based items. The game is one of the highlights of this year’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge, and UNC will face off against Iowa at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN. More than 22,000 lime green REPREVE-based #TurnItGreen t-shirts with a Carolina blue “NC” on the front will be distributed to each attending fan; and UNC cheerleaders, band members and the Tar Heel mascot, Rameses, will also “Turn It Green” by wearing the REPREVE t-shirts.
“Carolina Athletics is committed to increasing recycling awareness and sustainability efforts amongst our students, alumni and fans across the nation,” said Bubba Cunningham, director of athletics at UNC. “This partnership will further integrate sustainability into the campus environment, and we’re excited to have the support of a brand that is encouraging our students to make decisions that benefit not only themselves, but future generations as well.”
In addition to the #TurnItGreen basketball game on Dec. 3, REPREVE will offer fans a chance to win a variety of prizes made from REPREVE during a “Take the Smart Shot” challenge, encouraging everyone to throw their plastic bottles into the recycling bin instead of the trash can. The “Take the Smart Shot” challenge will extend into a campus-wide recycling competition among students that will lead into the 2015 UNC graduation ceremony, where graduating students will wear gowns made with REPREVE, using about 27 recycled plastic bottles for each.
"Working with REPREVE gives us the opportunity to show how green our students and fan base can be, and I’m confident they will rise to the challenge,” said Roy Williams, head men’s basketball coach at UNC. “Recycling really does make a significant impact, and we want everyone to take what they learn in the stands and put it into action, so that the entire campus community will recycle even more than we do currently."
Together, REPREVE and the Tar Heels will set a plastic bottle recycling goal for the campus. When the goal is reached, REPREVE will donate to the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, a cancer research and treatment center on the UNC campus.
To learn more about UNC and REPREVE’s #TurnItGreen efforts, visit www.REPREVE.com, or visit the REPREVE Facebook page www.facebook.com/REPREVE.
Unifi’s REPREVE adds first collegiate partner, UNC
