Unifi invests in biomass (Greeensboro)

Unifi Inc. has invested $4 million in a biomass feedstock business, marking the Triad company's first investment unrelated to the textile industry.

Unifi, a leading producer of multifilament polyester and nylon textured yarns that employs 1,969 workers in the Triad, is now an investor in Repreve Renewables, a joint venture that will be run from Greensboro and focus on the sales of Freedom Giant Miscanthus grass rhizomes to farmers. Farmers will grow the 15-foot-tall grass and supply it to bioenergy and biofuel operations in the U.S. and Europe.

The giant grass gives off lots of heat, making it an extremely combustible product that can be burned in place of a fossil fuel like coal. Planted in the spring in narrow rows, the grass is harvested once a year and doesn’t require annual tilling or replanting. The grass rhizomes will be produced from a farm operation in Soperton, Ga.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with textiles, but it is directly connected to the sustainability that our society is adopting today,” said Roger Berrier, Unifi’s executive vice president. “It is a new opportunity for us.”

Berrier said the company was looking to make some investments in the last couple of years, and that they didn’t necessarily have to be in the textile industry.

“We wanted them to be connected to one of our core strategies,” he said.

Repreve Renewables is another example of how Unifi is increasingly raising its commitment to sustainable practices and products.

In the mid-2000s, the company developed its Repreve polyester to create a 100 percent recycled product. The company has been so successful with the brand that it is spending $8 million for a new Repreve recycling center in Yadkinville.

Read the full story in The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area.