[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 290]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING UNIFI MANUFACTURING, INCORPORATED FOR ITS COMMITMENT TO 
                               RECYCLING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to commend Unifi Manufacturing, 
Incorporated for its commitment to recycling.
  Headquartered in Greensboro, Unifi is a leading producer and 
processor of multifilament polyester and nylon textured yarns. They 
provide innovative, global textile solutions and unique branded yarns 
for customers at every level of the supply chain.
  Unifi employs about 950 people in North Carolina's Fifth District at 
its Repreve Recycling Center in Yadkinville. The company is currently 
constructing an 85,000-square-foot expansion that will more than double 
the size of the facility.
  Repreve is polyester yarn made from chips that come mainly from 
recycled plastic bottles and industrial fiber waste. These 
environmentally friendly yarns have been used in products for customers 
that include Ford, The North Face, Nike, Haggar, Quiksilver, Volcom, 
and Patagonia. For example, a classic fit casual dress pant by Haggar 
features seven recycled bottles. Seat covers in a Ford F-150 truck 
contain 16 recycled bottles.
  Unifi is currently converting about 42 million pounds of recycled 
products a year into chips at its Yadkinville facility. That includes 
31 million pounds of post-consumer plastic bottles and 11 million 
pounds of post-industrial fiber and fabric waste. Once the expansion is 
complete, it will recycle 72 million pounds annually.
  At current production levels, the Yadkinville center accounts 
annually for the conversion of 900 million recycled plastic bottles and 
saves the equivalent of 16 million gallons of gasoline that would be 
required to make new polyester and nylon.
  Last spring, Unifi also opened a 1-megawatt solar farm onsite in 
Yadkinville. The solar farm is projected to provide about 10 percent of 
the energy needed to run the recycling center.
  Additionally, Unifi is expanding the Repreve brand through its 60 
percent interest in Repreve Renewables, a biomass feedstock company 
that focuses on the direct sales of Freedom Giant Miscanthus to 
farmers. Some analysts believe this type of grass is extremely 
efficient in converting sunlight to biomass energy. It also produces 
more fuel than any other biofuel source.
  Repreve Renewables has had significant commercial success with 
Thrivez, its poultry bedding brand. Thrivez regrows annually without 
replanting, reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, and 
minimizing water, herbicide, and fertilizer needs.
  Unifi has been profitable for 5 consecutive years, and Repreve has 
expanded from two main apparel customers in 2007 to 32 in 2015. I 
commend Unifi for achieving economic success through sustainability.

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