The Detroit Lions and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Athletics Join REPREVE® #TurnItGreen™ Week

GREENSBORO, N.C., Dec. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Lions and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) are joining with Unifi, Inc.'s (UFI: NYSE) REPREVE® recycled fiber brand to kick off #TurnItGreen™ week, Dec. 1-7.  The UNC men's home basketball game on Dec. 3 and the Detroit Lions home football game on Dec. 7 will feature consumer activations designed to highlight the high-quality products that can be made when plastic bottles are properly recycled. REPREVE is made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles, and the events are part of the brand's nationwide #TurnItGreen campaign to raise recycling awareness.

To show its commitment to sustainability and recycling, UNC will turn the Dean E. Smith Center green on Dec. 3 through various activations, including the addition of 50 REPREVE-wrapped recycling bins in the Smith Center, changing the traditionally blue lighting at the top of the Smith Center to green, and targeting a 100 percent plastic bottle recycling rate.  Additionally, each attending fan will receive a REPREVE-based t-shirt with a Carolina Blue NC on the front, made using more than 45,000 recycled plastic bottles. UNC cheerleaders, band members and Rameses, the Tar Heels mascot, will also "Turn It Green" by wearing REPREVE-based gear made from recycled bottles. The game is part of this year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge, to be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

"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."

REPREVE also launched a #TurnItGreen contest, offering UNC fans, students and alumni a chance to win a prize pack, including an autographed basketball from the entire 2014-15 UNC men's basketball team, a poster autographed by Roy Williams, and a variety of REPREVE-based gear. Following the conclusion of the #TurnItGreen contest on Dec. 1, there will be a campus-wide "Take the Smart Shot" recycling challenge that will lead into the 2015 UNC graduation ceremony, where graduating students will wear gowns made with REPREVE, each using approximately 27 recycled plastic bottles.

Wrapping up #TurnItGreen week, the Lions will turn Ford Field green by providing fans with REPREVE-based #TurnItGreen rally towels, made from a total of 200,000 recycled plastic bottles. The Lions kicked off their joint recycling efforts with REPREVE during training camp by unveiling 500 new recycling containers throughout Ford Field. This also marked the start of their recycling challenge with Lions fans. During each home game this season, the Lions have provided fans with an update on the number of bottles recycled at Ford Field to date.  As of Nov. 9, the Detroit Lions and their fans have recycled more than 37,000 bottles. At the end of the season, REPREVE and the Lions will be making a donation of REPREVE-based products to the Detroit Lions Academy to celebrate the fans' recycling efforts.

REPREVE will host a bottle throwing competition between Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and the winner of the "Make The Smart Throw" contest on Dec. 6. The "Make The Smart Throw" challenge encourages fans and consumers to submit trick-shot videos of them throwing plastic bottles into recycling bins. The winner will also receive tickets to the #TurnItGreen game on Dec. 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"Recycling is critical, yet 70 percent of plastic bottles in the U.S. do not get recycled, ending up in parks, landfills or the ocean. In football, you have to give 100 percent day in and day out, and the same is true for recycling and taking care of the planet," said Matthew Stafford, NFL quarterback for the Detroit Lions. "It's time for us to step up our game and make the smart throw by tossing our used plastic bottles into recycling bins."

REPREVE turns recycled plastic bottles into yarn for products people wear and use every day.  Since 2009, REPREVE has recycled more than 2 billion plastic bottles into products made by some of America's favorite brands, including The North Face, Patagonia, Ford and Haggar.

To learn more about REPREVE and keep up with the #TurnItGreen initiative, visit www.REPREVE.com or visit the REPREVE Facebook page www.facebook.com/REPREVE.  

REPREVE and #TurnItGreen are trademarks of Unifi, Inc.

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SOURCE Unifi, Inc.

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