Lawrence, Mass.-based Polartec LLC -- a manufacturer of Polartec® performance fabrics for consumer and military apparel -- will use Repreve® 100 yarn from Greensboro, N.C.-based textured yarn and related materials producer Unifi Inc. in a new line of performance fabrics. Repreve 100 yarn is manufactured using 100-percent post-consumer waste, with each pound of yarn derived from approximately 27 clear plastic water bottles.

Previous collaborations between Unifi and Polartec have helped the latter increase the recycled content of its recycled product line from less than 1 percent to more than 30 percent over the past four years. Polartec's use of Repreve 100 will help the manufacturer grow the percentage of recycled content in its fabrics even further. Polartec reports consumers should be unaware of any quality or performance differences between the products made using Repreve 100 versus product made with 100-percent virgin polyester. A new hangtag and joint marketing program will be launched to educate customers about the use of the recycled yarn.

"Unifi has been an excellent partner in our quest to deliver high performance, recycled content fabrics while reducing our overall footprint throughout the supply chain," said Andy Vecchione, president, Polartec LLC. "The goal has always been to use as much post-consumer content as possible. We expect Repreve 100-based Polartec fabrics will hit the consumer market in the Spring of 2011."

"In the past, limited technology presented many challenges in offering a high quality, 100-percent post-consumer product," said Roger Berrier, executive vice president, Unifi. "As technology has evolved, we are now able to offer a first-quality, 100-percent post-consumer product in the right colors and styles that Polartec requires for its fabrics."

January 19, 2010