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REPREVE Turns 60 Million Recycled Plastic Bottles into Graduation Caps and Gowns

Just in time for graduation season, REPREVE recycled fibers will be used in Oak Hall graduation gowns at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Since the introduction of REPREVE, nearly 60 million plastic bottles have been recycled into Oak Hall GreenWeaver gowns worn by more than 2.2 million students, the brand says. REPREVE is made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles, and each graduation gown is made from around 27 bottles. During the spring 2015 graduation season alone, more than 300,000 students around the nation will graduate wearing Oak Hall REPREVE-based gowns, using more than 8 million recycled plastic bottles. Participating schools include Duke, Yale, University of Alabama and Notre Dame, to name a few.

By Mike Hower | Published 11 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Just in time for graduation season, REPREVE recycled fibers will be used in Oak Hall graduation gowns at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country.

Since the introduction of REPREVE, nearly 60 million plastic bottles have been recycled into Oak Hall GreenWeaver gowns worn by more than 2.2 million students, the brand says. REPREVE is made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles, and each graduation gown is made from around 27 bottles.

During the spring 2015 graduation season alone, more than 300,000 students around the nation will graduate wearing Oak Hall REPREVE-based gowns, using more than 8 million recycled plastic bottles. Participating schools include Duke, Yale, University of Alabama and Notre Dame, to name a few.

Caps and gowns made with REPREVE are soft to the touch, wrinkle-resistant and lightweight, the company says. Sustainability comes full circle, as companies like Oak Hall are introducing programs where students can recycle the gowns, ultimately ending up back in REPREVE.

Since 2009, REPREVE says it has recycled more than 2 billion plastic bottles into products made by such brands as The North Face, Ford, Quiksilver, Volcom and Haggar.

Last year, The Detroit Lions partnered with REPREVE to launch a sustainability initiative aimed at achieving a 100 percent recycling rate throughout the 2014 NFL season. The Lions were the first NFL team to join REPREVE’s #TurnItGreen program, which supports stadium-based recycling efforts and a consumer education campaign to encourage fans to recycle bottles during games.

Also last year, Quiksilver announced the launch of its newly designed AG47 New Wave Boardshorts, made with REPREVE® fibers. Quiksilver said each pair of Quiksilver AG47 New Wave Boardshorts contains approximately 11 recycled plastic bottles. In addition to the AG47 collection, Quiksilver now uses REPREVE in more than 75 percent of its total boardshort line.

Mike Hower

Founder, Hower Impact

Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.

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