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REPREVE® and BlueAvocado Join Forces to Educate Consumers on 'What's Out, Is In'
Posted: 11-20-2009 : GREENSBORO, N.C.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – This year alone, U.S. landfills will be inundated with more than 21 billion plastic (PET) water bottles[i] and 78 billion plastic bags[ii]. Two green-minded companies Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI), the makers of REPREVE® recycled fibers, and BlueAvocado have teamed up to achieve a common goal: reduce their environmental footprints by diverting materials from ending up in the landfill.
BlueAvocado’s new reusable gro-pak™ shopping system is designed to replace 15 environmentally harmful plastic bags per shopping trip and it features five separate component bags made using REPREVE recycled fibers. The system is durable, compact and stylish, and offers a solution for every shopping need - collapsibility for sto-n-go convenience, insulation for hot or cold items, and ventilation for fruits and veggies.
Not all reusable bags are created equal, and what’s in the bag is as important as the bag itself. BlueAvocado’s reusable grocery bag system is made with Unifi’s REPREVE, a family of 100% recycled fibers that are made from waste and post-consumer plastic (PET) bottles. And because REPREVE is made from recycled materials, it conserves the earth’s precious natural resources.
“Our goal was to provide eco-conscious, time-starved shoppers with a reusable and recycled grocery bag system that’s focused on style, convenience and value,” said BlueAvocado’s Chief Innovation Officer Melissa Nathan. “The gro-pak system can eliminate 1,000 plastic bags per shopper per year, so the impact of one consumer can affect the lives of many. We believe we’re helping consumers change the way they shop – for good.”
The partnership of REPREVE and BlueAvocado creates a green synergy, and promotes the three pillars of sustainability:
- Reduce - minimize the harmful waste created by plastic bags and plastic bottles
- Reuse - the versatility and durability of the BlueAvocado gro-pak means years of multiple uses
- Recycle - extracting useful materials, like plastic PET bottles from curbside recycling, into recycled products like those made with REPREVE recycled fiber
“BlueAvocado provides consumers with a more environmentally friendly choice and is unique because it’s reusable and made from recycled materials,” said Bett Faircloth, Unifi’s marketing manager. “What’s out of the landfill is literally in the bag, and with REPREVE’s U Trust™ verification program, consumers can have confidence in what they’re getting.”
Since the average shopper uses 1,000 plastic bags per year, BlueAvocado is also inviting consumers to kick their plastic habit and join their Billion Bag Pledge. Consumers can pledge online at www.blueavocado.com/billion to avoid 5, 10 or 20 plastic bags per week. BlueAvocado products are available in 400 stores and online retailers nationwide. Sur La Table is the first national retailer to introduce the REPREVE line, launching in 75 stores this November.
About Unifi:
Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI) is a diversified producer and processor of multi-filament polyester and nylon textured yarns and related raw materials. The Company adds value to the supply chain and enhances consumer demand for its products through the development and introduction of branded yarns that provide unique performance, comfort and aesthetic advantages. Key Unifi brands include, but are not limited to: AIO® - all-in-one performance yarns, SORBTEK®, A.M.Y. ®, MYNX® UV, REPREVE®, REFLEXX®, MICROVISTA® and SATURA®. Unifi's yarns and brands are readily found in home furnishings, apparel, legwear, and sewing thread, as well as industrial, automotive, military, and medical applications. For more information about Unifi, visit www.unifi.com, or to learn more about REPREVE®, visit the new website www.repreve.com.
About BlueAvocado
A women-owned business launched in November 2008, BlueAvocado is making it easy to “do good and get it done” by offering lifestyle products that inspire people to reduce their carbon footprint in style. The company’s first product, the gro-pak®, is the country’s first reusable grocery bag system (patent-pending). The five-piece system is designed to avoid 15 plastic bags per trip or 1,000 per year and includes bags for hauling, ventilation, insulation and collapsibility. Made of recycled material, each bag bears an audited carbon footprint label identifying the carbon avoided with each trip. To date BlueAvocado shoppers will help avoid 11 million plastic bags and 547,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions in the next year (the equivalent to planting more than1,400 trees). Do good @ www.blueavocado.com.
BlueAvocado™ and gro-pak® are trademarks of BlueAvocado Co.
[i] Based on 28 billion plastic (PET) water bottles purchased annually and a 23% recycle rate. (Source: Earth911.com)
[ii] Based on 78 billion plastic bags used annually and a 12% recycle rate. (Source: Earth911.com)
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