A couple of high-profile sports programs are adding green to their team colors to highlight plastic bottle recycling.
Both the Detroit Lions and the University of North Carolina are working with Unifi Inc.'s Repreve brand of recycled fiber this week.
Repreve is made from recycled materials, including PET bottles.
Attendees at UNC's game on Dec. 3 will see a variety of activities during the company's #TurnItGreen week. Fans will receive Repreve-based T-shirts, made from more than 45,000 recycled bottles, with a Carolina Blue “NC” on the front. Cheerleaders, band members and the UNC Tar Heels Mascot also will sport Repreve-based gear.
Lions fans, at the team's Dec. 7 home game, will receive with Repreve-based #TurnItGreen rally towels, made from a total of 200,000 recycled PET bottles, the company said.
“Recycling is critical, yet 70 percent of plastic bottles in the U.S. do not get recycled, ending up in parks, landfills or the ocean,” said Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford in a statement. “It's time for us to step up our game and make the smart throw by tossing our used plastic bottles into recycling bins.”