Going green is not a necessarily a new concept. Recently the world has become obsessed with being environmentally friendly, which is why one of action sports biggest events, the X Games, is teaming up with REPREVE for the second year in a row.

Officially launched in 2007 by parent company Unifi, the REPREVE brand truly took off around 2010. The reason for the launch was Unifi’s interest in sustainability, which began when the company decided to start recycling their own waste. The result was REPREVE, an ingredient brand that creates the actual recycled component that is then incorporated into other products. This is done by taking plastic bottles, melting them down, and creating yarn that is the same #1 plastic as the ever-common polyester. From this yarn, products such as hats, shirts, and lanyards can be produced.

As technology became more advanced, REPREVE was able to expand its efforts and soon found a number of sponsors to make investments and support their recycling movement. “We have been lucky to work with multiple sponsors, like Patagonia and Polartec, since the beginning,” Communications and Marketing Manager Bett Anderson said.

“We are really excited that ESPN has decided to back us again this year. They are already very environmentally conscious but we are looking forward to helping them make the event even greener.”

When REPREVE and the X Games joined forces in 2013, REPREVE was thrust, for the first time, into the consumer spotlight. Their big launch included the distribution of close to 10,000 green beanies, each made from about six recycled plastic bottles. This year they hope to make an even bigger impact.

Before the actual event, REPREVE hopes to propel the movement by launching a #turnitgreen campaign and campaign contest which will begin this Friday with a social media takeover. The contest asks people to submit pictures or videos showing how they are turning their lives green. By sharing this multimedia content with #turnitgreen and @Repreve, contestants are automatically entered to win a variety of prizes including recycled clothing created with REPREVE, a GoPro camera, and even a grand prize of $5,000.

“The idea is to get the conversation started about recycling and to raise awareness,” said Bett. “We really think that through education we can get people excited and see the number of plastic bottles recycled go up.”

Afterall, as far as plastic recycling goes, only 30 percent of plastic bottles in the United States don’t end up in landfills. This problem greatly needs to be addressed because once there, plastic bottles can last for over 100 years in the landfills. “So throwing them away is a problem that will last for generations,” Jennifer Whisnant, REPREVE account executive, further explained.

Going along with the campaign, the X Games provides REPREVE a great platform to spread the message to its target audience: the Millennial generation. So, to accompany the distribution of about 4,000 beanies, this year Repreve will be selling banners, lanyards, and other merchandise as well. They have also secured pro-snowboarder Elena Hight as their brand advocate. Hight will don a Volcom custom-made green jacket created from 50 recycled bottles at the games. Her work with REPREVE also included designing some of the T-shirts that will be on sale.

Finally, on Saturday REPREVE will actually “turn the X Games green” by lining the SuperPipe with their iconic green beanies. “The idea is to literally turn the pipe green in both product and color.” Bett elaborated “We are really excited to see how it will all come together.”

To learn more about REPREVE and how you can #turnitgreen, visit their website or facebook. And be sure to watch the green movement in action at ESPN’s X Games Aspen, which will take place January 23 to 26.

Images and video courtesy REPREVE