Unifi Receives Letter of No Objection From Food And Drug Administration to Produce REPREVE® Recycled Bottle Flake for Food-Grade Packaging

REIDSVILLE, N.C., March 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Unifi, Inc. (NYSE: UFI) can now produce its post-consumer recycled PET plastic flake for use in the manufacturing of food-contact articles, after receiving its Letter of No Objection (LNO) from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Last September, Unifi celebrated the official opening of its REPREVE^® Bottle Processing Center in North Carolina, where the Company's recycled plastic flake is produced. The REPREVE Bottle Processing Center is one of the most advanced recycling facilities of its kind in the United States, utilizing state-of-the-art technology for sorting and cleaning recycled bottles.

The REPREVE Bottle Processing Center represents a more than $28 million dollar investment in the vertical integration of Unifi's REPREVE recycled product line, and a commitment to new environmentally conscious production capabilities and channels of revenue; Unifi's high-quality recycled plastic flake can now be used for food-grade packaging such as clamshells, trays and baskets for fresh fruits, vegetables and shell eggs. Unifi's REPREVE Bottle Processing Center has the annual capacity to produce 75 million pounds of the highest quality, consistent, clean bottle flake, and helps conserve natural resources by reducing the use of crude oil to produce virgin plastic for non-recycled packaging.

"We are pleased to expand our end uses for REPREVE bottle flake to include food-grade products," said Eddie Ingle, vice president of supply chain and REPREVE polymer sales for Unifi. "The REPREVE Bottle Processing Center uses custom-designed, cutting-edge technology to produce recycled bottle flake for high-quality, safe, environmentally responsible food packaging."

The process starts when individuals recycle. Unifi purchases baled PET bottles from materials recovery facilities across the eastern United States, and brings them to the REPREVE Bottle Processing Center, where undesirable materials are segregated and removed using multiple processes to ensure that only the proper, high-quality polyester bottles are kept for use. Unifi then removes labels, debris and caps from the remaining PET bottles. These bottles are chopped into flake, washed, dried and bagged for use in the production of Unifi's recycled REPREVE fiber or chip; flake can also be sold for use in a variety of consumer packaging applications, such as thermoformed food-grade packaging, as well as non-food applications, for example, strapping and film.

Since inception, Unifi has recycled more than 5 billion plastic water bottles into REPREVE fiber, used by many well-known brands in a variety of auto, outdoor, home and apparel products, including Levi's, Haggar, Ford and The North Face. Now, Unifi has the capability to increase the number of bottles the Company recycles, as it expands production to include food-grade packaging. To learn more about Unifi and REPREVE, visit booth 910 at Plastics Recycling 2017, March 6-8 in New Orleans.

About REPREVE:
REPREVE® is Unifi, Inc.'s (NYSE: UFI) flagship brand of recycled fibers, made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. REPREVE can be found in products ranging from apparel and hosiery to automotive and industrial applications, and is used by some of the world's leading brands, including Patagonia, Haggar, Quiksilver and Ford. REPREVE's #TurnItGreen initiative is designed to encourage recycling and raise awareness among consumers that recycled bottles can be turned into cool products they use every day. For more information about REPREVE, visit www.REPREVE.com; like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

About Unifi:  
Unifi, Inc. is a multi-national manufacturing company that produces and sells textured and other processed yarns designed to meet customer specifications, and premium value-added ("PVA") yarns with enhanced performance characteristics. Unifi maintains one of the textile industry's most comprehensive polyester and nylon product offerings. Unifi enhances demand for its products, and helps others in creating a more effective textile industry supply chain, through the development and introduction of branded yarns that provide unique performance, comfort and aesthetic advantages. In addition to its flagship REPREVE® products – a family of environmentally responsible yarns made from recycled materials – key Unifi brands include: SORBTEK®, REFLEXX®, AIO® – all-in-one performance yarns, SATURA®, AUGUSTA®, A.M.Y.®, MYNX® UV and MICROVISTA®. Unifi's yarns are readily found in the products of major brands in the apparel, hosiery, automotive, home furnishings, industrial and other end-use markets. For more information about Unifi, visit www.unifi.com; to learn more about REPREVE®, visit www.REPREVE.com.

REPREVE is a trademark of Unifi, Inc.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/unifi-receives-letter-of-no-objection-from-food-and-drug-administration-to-produce-repreve-recycled-bottle-flake-for-food-grade-packaging-300418886.html

SOURCE Unifi, Inc.