The Detroit Lions Transform Ford Field In Celebration Of The First-Ever REPREVE® #TurnItGreen™ Week

DETROIT, Dec. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Detroit Lions will celebrate a season long recycling effort with their sustainability partner Unifi, Inc.'s (NYSE: UFI) REPREVE® recycled fiber brand, by participating in the first-ever, #TurnItGreen™ week, Dec. 1-7. During their Dec. 7 home game, the Lions and REPREVE will provide all attending fans with REPREVE-based #TurnItGreen fan towels each made from three recycled bottles. Close to 200,000 recycled plastic bottles will help turn Ford Field REPREVE green and highlight the products that can be made when plastic bottles are recycled. REPREVE is made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles, and this game is part of the brand's nationwide #TurnItGreen campaign to raise recycling awareness.

The Lions kicked off their joint recycling efforts with REPREVE during training camp, unveiling 500 new recycling bins throughout Ford Field, challenging their fans to achieve a 100 percent recycling rate by "Making the Smart Throw" into recycling bins, and educating them on the importance of recycling. 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 Dec. 3, the Detroit Lions and their fans have recycled nearly 60,000 bottles. At the end of the 2014 season, REPREVE and the Lions will donate REPREVE-based products to the Detroit Lions Academy to celebrate the fans' successful recycling efforts.

"Recycling is critical, yet 70 percent of plastic bottles in the U.S. do not get recycled and end up in parks, landfills and our oceans," said Matthew Stafford, NFL quarterback for the Detroit Lions. "This season, our fans have stepped up to the challenge and made the smart throw by tossing their used plastic bottles into recycling bins, helping us reach our goal, and ultimately keeping plastic bottles out of landfills."

To show the team's support of recycling, members of the Lions organization and the broadcast team will be wearing green REPREVE-based neckties, each made from one recycled plastic bottle. Prior to the #TurnItGreen game, REPREVE will host a bottle throwing competition between Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and the winner of the "Make The Smart Throw" contest. The "Make The Smart Throw" contest encouraged fans and consumers to submit trick-shot videos of themselves throwing plastic bottles into recycling bins. In addition to the competition with Matthew Stafford, the winner will attend the #TurnItGreen game on Dec. 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"We chose to align with the Detroit Lions as they shared the same passion and vision for recycling as we have," said Roger Berrier, president and chief operating officer of Unifi, Inc. "Our intention with this collaboration is not only to educate fans on the importance of recycling and increase in-stadium recycling efforts, but also expand recycling efforts in the NFL fan community, and we feel that we have started to make this happen."

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.  

About REPREVE:
REPREVE® is Unifi, Inc.'s (NYSE: UFI) flagship brand of recycled fibers, made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. REPREVE can be found in products ranging from apparel and hosiery to automotive and industrial applications, and is used by some of the world's leading brands, including Patagonia, Haggar, Quiksilver and Ford. REPREVE's #TurnItGreen initiative is designed to encourage recycling and raise awareness among consumers that recycled bottles can be turned into cool products they use every day. For more information about REPREVE, visit www.REPREVE.com; like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

About Unifi:  
Unifi, Inc. is a multi-national manufacturing company that produces and sells textured and other processed yarns designed to meet customer specifications, and premier value-added ("PVA") yarns with enhanced performance characteristics. Unifi maintains one of the textile industry's most comprehensive polyester and nylon product offerings. Unifi enhances demand for its products, and helps others in creating a more effective textile industry supply chain, through the development and introduction of branded yarns that provide unique performance, comfort and aesthetic advantages. In addition to its flagship REPREVE® products – a family of eco-friendly yarns made from recycled materials – key Unifi brands include: SORBTEK®, REFLEXX®, AIO® – all-in-one performance yarns, SATURA®, AUGUSTA®, A.M.Y.®, MYNX® UV and MICROVISTA®. Unifi's yarns are readily found in the products of major brands in the apparel, hosiery, automotive, home furnishings, industrial and other end-use markets. For more information about Unifi, visit www.unifi.com; to learn more about REPREVE®, visit www.REPREVE.com.

About The Detroit Lions:
The Detroit Lions is a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL), and play their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. The team relocated to Detroit in 1934 and are the National Football League's fifth oldest franchise. The Detroit Lions finished the 2011 regular season with a 10-6 record and earned a berth in the NFL playoffs. In addition to professional football, the Detroit Lions have a very visible and active community relations role in the Detroit area. With a focus on health and wellness and community revitalization, the Lions have contributed $7.2 million through philanthropic efforts since 1991. For more information, visit www.DetroitLions.com.

The Detroit Lions Academy offers students an opportunity to learn and achieve in a structured caring and safe, learning environment that can address their individual learning needs. Students, in grades 6-8, attend the school due to previous challenges in traditional educational settings and receive additional social-emotional support due to challenges that have impeded their progress.

REPREVE and #TurnItGreen are trademarks of Unifi, Inc.

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SOURCE Unifi, Inc.

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