Most of you are already more than familiar with REPREVE, AAPN member Unifi's unique and truly eco-friendly fiber that is crafted using plastic bottles, and has been used in sports uniforms, high fashion clothing collections and will soon be used to make every vest that Walmart employees wear to work.
Now the company is introducing a new version of their flagship innovation called REPREVE Our Ocean. REPREVE Our Ocean fiber is made from bottles collected within 50 kilometers of coastlines in countries or areas that lack formal waste or recycling systems.
According to Jay Hertwig, group vice president of global branded sales for Unifi; “REPREVE Our Ocean is a premium collection of fiber and resin sourced from bottles at high risk of entering in the ocean. We have long cared for our air, land and natural resources by transforming billions of plastic bottles into REPREVE recycled fiber. With REPREVE Our Ocean, we offer a unique opportunity to for brands to tell an ocean-focused story.”
And just in time too. According to Ocean Conservancy and The Ellen MacArthur Foundation each year, at least 8.8 million tons of plastics make their way into the ocean, which is the equivalent of dumping the contents of one garbage truck into the ocean every minute. In addition, at least 80 percent of plastic flows into the oceans from land, and at current rates, there will be more plastic by weight than fish by 2050. And no one wants that.
We congratulate our friends at Unify and can't wait to see the fiber up close and hear more about it. For those Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Colorado later this month you'll have a chance to first, as REPREVE Our Ocean will be debuting there at Booth 55129-UL