UNIFI, Inc., the makers of Repreve and leaders in recycled and synthetic yarns, has announced the winners of its eighth annual Repreve Champions of Sustainability awards. The honours spotlight key global brands and textile partners that have collectively helped recycle over 42 billion plastic bottles and significantly reduce carbon emissions.

This year’s awards included recognition of growing adoption in textile-to-textile recycling, with brands such as Marmot and Faherty acknowledged for advancing circularity in the industry. New Balance, Free Country, Swannies, and Walmart were also celebrated for their continued sustainability efforts.

Among the headline recipients were Nike, Target, Walmart, Polartec and Texhong, each surpassing the milestone of recycling one billion bottles. Free Country and Swannies received the Newcomer Award for exceeding 10 million bottles recycled, while New Balance and Signet Mills were honoured for their commitment to U.S.-based Repreve manufacturing.

Culp received the Sustainable Fabric Innovation award for its use of Repreve in mattress ticking, and Malibu C was recognised for utilising Repreve Our Ocean resin in sustainable packaging. Faherty was named an early adopter of the Repreve Takeback initiative, having developed fabric using 50% waste-based recycled polyester.

“At UNIFI, our aim is to mainstream the use of sustainable and circular solutions,” said Eddie Ingle, CEO of UNIFI. “These champions are setting new standards in environmental responsibility and are key partners in enacting meaningful change.”

UNIFI’s impact is measurable through its FiberPrint tracer technology and peer-reviewed life cycle assessments. According to the company, its partners have collectively helped reduce fossil fuel usage by 41.4 billion megajoules and conserved 6.5 billion gallons of freshwater compared to using virgin polyester.

For a full list of award recipients, visit:

www.repreve.com/champions-of-sustainability

www.unifi.com