GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Unifi, Inc. announced its expansion into more sustainable practices with a joint venture focused on renewable energy, furthering the brands reputation as a leader in green initiatives for more than a decade.

Unifi will invest in the backward integration of the REPREVE supply chain in an effort to not only improve the availability of recycled raw materials but also to allow greater control over the production of the recycled chip used in creating the REPREVE polyester fibers. 

“Bringing the extrusion process in-house is a natural next step for us,” said Roger Berrier, executive vice president for Unifi.  “Being more vertically integrated will significantly increase our product development capabilities and capacity.”

This new technology will also Unifi to recycle post-consumer and post industrial fabric waste back into Repreve, a process that is slated to begin in February 2011.

Unifi’s history as an environmentally-friendly company traces back to more than a decade, having recycled everything from paper tubes, pallets and corrugated boxes to donating boisolids to local farmers. Starting around 2004, Unifi developed the state-of-the-art REPREVE recycled polyester in an effort to provide its clients with an eco-friendly, 100% recycled product and one that performs like virgin fibers and conserves natural resources.

To further its reputation in sustainability, Unifi announced its purchased of 40% interest in a biomass feedstock company.  The joint venture, labeled as REPREVE™ Renewables, addresses the direct sales of Freedom™ Giant Miscanthus, the highest-yielding non-invasive crop of C4 grass, to local farmers. Once in the hands of the farmers, the product is then provided to bioenergy and biofuel operations in the U.S. and E.U.  and is extremely efficient in converting sunlight to biomass energy. 

“We are continually looking for innovative, sustainable initiatives, and we are very excited about participating in this renewable energy opportunity,” said Bill Jasper, Unifi’s CEO and president. “Both of these initiatives will support our strategy to grow the REPREVE brand and product portfolio, and will add to our commitment in being a global leader in sustainability efforts.”