Students in the merchandising, apparel & textiles program in the Department of Retailing and Tourism Management are once again organizing UK’s annual denim drive. The denim drive is a great opportunity to be part of UK’s Big Blue Goes Green initiative.
The Cotton “From Blue to Green” denim recycling program was created by Cotton Incorporated in 2006 as part of the company’s groundbreaking collegiate mobile marketing initiative. This year the denim recycling program has changed its name to the “Blue Jeans Go Green” denim drive. “Blue Jeans Go Green” is a call to action to donate denim and give it “new life” by converting it into UltraTouch™ natural cotton fiber insulation. The program emphasizes the natural and environmental attributes of cotton and affords people the opportunity to give back to their community in a unique way.
Donated jeans will be converted into natural cotton fiber insulation and used in the construction of new homes and/or renovation construction within communities in need. The first step in the manufacturing process is to send the collected denim to Allan Company, a leader in the recycling industry since 1963. From there, it is baled into 1,000 lb. bales and then transported to JBM Fibers, a leading manufacturer of reprocessed fiber. JBM Fibers processes the collected denim and prepares it to its original fiber state (cotton). The cotton fiber is used to manufacture environmentally-safe insulation through Bonded Logic Inc., the manufacturer of UltraTouch™ insulation. As a result, fewer textiles are sent to landfills thus reducing the amount of waste.
Individuals, schools, organizations and businesses nationwide contribute denim to the program each year. Due to the efforts of the community, Cotton Inc. has diverted 600 tons of waste from landfills, generated 2,000,000 square feet of insulation, and has collected 985,342 pieces of denim to date. This year Cotton Inc. will be celebrating the millionth piece collected.
On Wednesday, October 9, students from the MAT Club will be accepting used denim garments (jeans, shirts, skirts, etc.) at the Big Blue Goes Green sustainability showcase in the Student Center Grand Ballroom. Collection bins are also positioned at various locations across campus for the month of October.
Join the UK MAT Club by donating your used denim items. Help the community and the environment through this special recycling program.