Bales of recycled bottles are ready to begin the sorting process at the Unifi plant in Reidsville, Wednesday in 2016.
Richard Craver, Review
Unifi Inc. said Walmart has reached the threshold to purchase the equivalent of one billion post-consumer plastic bottles of Repreve recycled performance fiber. It took Walmart 10 years to reach the milestone.
Walmart becomes the fourth member of what Unifi calls the Billion Bottle Club, joining Nike, Polartec and Target.
Repreve, launched in 2006, is a polyester yarn made from shavings primarily from recycled bottles. Sorbtek is its moisture management yarn. Repreve-based yarns are used to manufacture products for the apparel, outdoor, home textiles and automotive industries.
Walmart products made with Repreve typically bear the green stripe with the Repreve message on Walmart Time & Tru denim labels, Avia shoes, Wonder Nation and Athletic Works socks.
Walmst also sells Repreve-based merchandise, including RealTree fishing shirts, Mossy Oak hunting t-shirts, and Jordache and Justice kids’ jeans.
Unifi said the billion bottle calculations are based on a standard 16.9-ounce bottle. Unifi said the measurement metrics include how it translates to bottles per pound of recycled polyester, as well as the tracked pounds of Repreve yarn, fiber and resin sold to Walmart suppliers for store programs.
Walmart first purchased recycled Repreve products from Unifi in 2012. In 2019, Walmart announced its goal to source 50% recycled polyester fiber for its private label textiles by 2025.