Turning green

The University of North Carolina (UNC) Tar Heels battled the Fighting Illini September 19 in a Kenan Stadium awash with lime green T-shirts, rally towels, cheerleader togs and dance team costumes; even the Tar Heel mascot, Rameses, wore a lime green jersey. The fabric greenery in the scenery was made from Repreve® recycled fiber, manufactured by Unifi Inc., a North Carolina-based producer of textured and processed yarns with enhanced characteristics. Repreve’s claim to fame: it is made of fibers reclaimed from plastic bottles. In total, more than 20,000 plastic bottles were recycled into Repreve-based items for the event.

UNC is the first collegiate program to team up with Unifi in the Repreve #TurnItGreen™ campaign, and the September football game was its second signature event. “Repreve’s presence in the stands and on the field will help educate and encourage our students to make sustainable decisions that will benefit future generations,” says head football coach Larry Fedora. During halftime, four lucky students vied for a chance to win a $1,000 UNC Student Stores gift certificate and Repreve products during a “Make the Smart Throw” challenge—throwing plastic bottles into recycling bins. Repreve is available in staple fiber, filament polyester and filament nylon 6,6.