Unifi Announces Recipients of Inaugural REPREVE® Champions of Sustainability Awards

GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- To further commemorate its recent milestone of recycling 10 billion bottles, Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI) is pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural REPREVE^® Champions of Sustainability awards. These annual awards celebrate Unifi's brand and textile partners that share in its commitment to sustainability and vision for a better tomorrow.

"Unifi created the REPREVE Champions of Sustainability awards to recognize our brand and textile partners that have achieved plastic bottle recycling milestones as a result of their use of REPREVE performance fibers," said Kevin Hall, Unifi Chairman & CEO. "We are proud to honor companies that exemplify leadership in sustainability, and are among those that have contributed to the more than 10 billion bottles that Unifi has recycled so far.  We look forward to recognizing even more companies in the future as we work toward our goal of recycling 30 billion bottles by 2022."

REPREVE Champions of Sustainability will be awarded to 25 brand and retail partners that have each used the equivalent of 10 million or more bottles, and 15 textile partners that have each used the equivalent of 50 million or more bottles, through the use of REPREVE fiber. A partial list of award recipients can be found by visiting REPREVE.com/champions, and on page two of this release.

"More than 70 percent of plastic bottles in the United States end up in a landfill," Hall explained. "By creating these awards, we hope to inspire designers, customers and consumers to continue to invest in sustainability, and that together, we can make everyday life better by transforming recycled plastic bottles into the products consumers use every day."

An added spotlight on sustainability

In addition to the bottle awards, Unifi is also introducing four special category awards:

• REPREVE Partners in Innovation recognizes companies using REPREVE in a way that's unique to the market.
• REPREVE Circular Economy recognizes companies demonstrating best-in-class use of the closed loop concept, which aims to eliminate waste throughout the product life cycle.
• REPREVE Newcomer recognizes key companies that started using REPREVE in the past year.
• REPREVE All-In recognizes companies that integrated REPREVE into their entire product line from the beginning of the partnership.

Even the awards are recycled

To craft the awards, Unifi partnered with The Olio, a nonprofit organization based in Winston-Salem, N.C. that focuses on teaching and empowerment through entrepreneurship, glassblowing, art and sustainable solutions. Each custom crafted award is blown by hand from glass recycled from local restaurants and bars, and sits on a base made from recycled aluminum and reclaimed wood.

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 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 10 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new clothing, shoes, home goods and other consumer products. Unifi continually innovates to meet consumer needs in moisture management, thermal regulation, antimicrobial, UV protection, stretch, water repellency and enhanced softness. Unifi collaborates with many of the world's most influential brands in the sports apparel, fashion, home, automotive and other industries, including New Era, Levi's, Target, Ford and more. For more information about Unifi, visit www.Unifi.com.

About REPREVE:
Made by Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI), REPREVE^® is the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, transforming more than 10 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 including New Era, Levi's, Target and Ford.  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.

SOURCE Unifi, Inc.