REPREVE, a recycled fiber brand of Unifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., and the official recycling and sustainability partner of the Detroit Lions, has teamed up with the team’s quarterback, Matthew Stafford, to kick off its “Make The Smart Throw” campaign.
In America, 70% of plastic bottles end up in landfills, oceans and parks, so this initiative encourages fans to toss their plastic bottles into recycling bins instead of trash cans, according to the company.
REPREVE is a fiber made from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles, and the “Make the Smart Throw” campaign is the latest component of the brand’s #TurnItGreen initiative aimed at raising recycling awareness. In 2013, REPREVE transformed more than 740 million recycled plastic bottles into fiber. Since 2009, the brand has recycled more than 2 billion plastic bottles into products made by some of America’s favorite brands, including Ford, Haggar, Polartec, Quiksilver and Volcom.
In an effort to recycle even more bottles, REPREVE and the Lions are calling on fans to help the team reach its target 100% recycling rate during the 2014 season. To help achieve this goal, they have added 500 REPREVE-branded recycling bins at Ford Field, as well as incorporating in-stadium PSA’s with Stafford highlighting the importance of recycling.
Stafford also is challenging fans to demonstrate how they “make the smart throw” by encouraging consumers to submit trick-shot videos that show them throwing plastic bottles from an incredible distance or crazy height, throwing blindfolded or even behind-the-back into recycling bins. The top 10 entries displaying the most creative recycling shots will be featured on REPREVE’s Facebook page for fan voting. The grand-prize winner will receive a trip for two to the Detroit Lions Dec. 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including an opportunity to meet Stafford and compete against him in a head-to-head “Make The Smart Throw” bottle-throwing contest, which will be featured in front of 65,000 fans on the video screen at Ford Field and in various social channels. Videos should be submitted to facebook.com/repreve and should be tagged with #makethesmartthrow and #repreve.
During the Dec. 7 game, REPREVE will take over Ford Field as part of its #TurnItGreen efforts, providing all attending fans with a REPREVE-based #TurnItGreen towel, each made from three recycled plastic bottles. In all, REPREVE will recycle more than 200,000 plastic bottles into various products for the game.
For more information visit repreve.com. — L.M.
