The global textile industry is undergoing a rigorous transition toward closed-loop manufacturing, a movement led by North Carolina-based Unifi, Inc. In its newly released FY2025 Sustainability Snapshot, the company confirmed it has successfully transformed the equivalent of 1 billion T-shirts' worth of textile and yarn waste into high-performance fibers.
This achievement marks a strategic expansion of the Repreve platform beyond its traditional focus on plastic bottles, targeting the 92 million tons of textile waste generated annually. By scaling proprietary technologies such as Repreve Takeback and ThermaLoop insulation, Unifi is enabling brands to convert post-industrial and post-consumer scrap into virgin-quality polyester, effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 77 per cent compared to petroleum-based alternatives.
New 2030 targets address global regulatory and supply chain pressures
As the European Union and North American markets tighten environmental mandates, Unifi has revised its long-term objectives to maintain market leadership. The company is now aiming to recycle 65 billion plastic bottles and transform 1.5 billion T-shirt equivalents by FY2030. Despite a challenging fiscal year where consolidated net sales dipped to $571.3 million due to broader retail demand shifts, the Repreve segment remains a ‘star’ performer, accounting for 31 per cent of total revenue. Our momentum is driven by pushing the boundaries of what is possible at scale, states Eddie Ingle, CEO. To support this growth, Unifi is prioritizing an EBITDA-positive trajectory by shifting more than 50 per cent of its revenue mix toward recycled fibers, ensuring that circular solutions remain commercially viable despite rising raw material costs.
Unifi, Inc is a vertically integrated leader in recycled and synthetic yarns, operating key facilities in the US, Brazil, and Asia. Its flagship brand, Repreve is the global standard for traceable, certified recycled fiber used across apparel, automotive, and home furnishing sectors. Founded in 1971, the company has evolved from a regional texturizer into a global circular economy engine, targeting over 50 per cent of its revenue from sustainable products by 2030.
