UNIFI named among World’s Most Innovative Fashion Companies for 2025

UNIFI, the global leader in recycled and synthetic yarns and the makers of Repreve, has been named in Fast Company’s list of the ‘World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2025’ in the fashion and apparel category. The recognition underscores UNIFI’s leadership in sustainability, particularly in bottle-to-textile and textile-to-textile recycling.

CEO Eddie Ingle expressed pride in the achievement, emphasizing the importance of reducing reliance on virgin polyester and scaling circular solutions with the Repreve brand. UNIFI’s Textile Takeback process enables global brands to extend material lifecycles by repurposing post-industrial and post-consumer fabric waste into circular polyester and ThermaLoop insulation. The company has already recycled the equivalent of 950 million T-shirts’ worth of textile and yarn waste, with a goal of reaching 1.5 billion by 2030.

Additionally, UNIFI aims to divert 50 billion plastic bottles from landfills by 2025 and cut greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 30 per cent by 2030. The company tracks progress through third-party, peer-reviewed life cycle assessments.

Fast Company’s list recognizes businesses driving industry transformation. This year’s list includes companies leveraging AI, enhancing customer engagement, and focusing on innovations.