A recycling program to keep old denim out of landfills and convert it into housing insulation will get a boost from a new partnership between Cotton Incorporated and the Phoenix International Raceway for the Blue Jeans Go Green 200 presented by Cotton, the Fabric of Our Lives NASCAR Nationwide Series race and an at-the-track denim recycling initiative.

Race attendees will be able to leave denim of any type at one of four recycling collection bins at the track. The denim collected will be converted into UltraTouch Denim Insulation by Bonded Logic in Chandler, Ariz.

The partnership with Phoenix International Raceway places the Blue Jeans Go Green denim recycling program in the national spotlight, said Kevin Rogers, Mesa, Ariz., cotton producer and Cotton Board member. “I am very excited Cotton Incorporated is promoting this environmentally-responsible program to NASCAR’s large and diverse audience.”

Phoenix International Raceway will provide a 20 percent discount on tickets to the November 2014 PIR NASCAR Nationwide Series to fans who recycle denim with Blue Jeans Go Green during the spring race weekend.

 “We are thrilled to welcome Cotton Incorporated and the Blue Jeans Go Green program to Phoenix International Raceway as the title sponsor of our nationwide event,” said Bryan Sperber, president of Phoenix International Raceway. “We are tremendously proud to be associated with such a great organization and I encourage our fans to recycle their jeans and denim to this great cause.”

    Producer checkoff dollars fund a variety of cotton promotion successes…

To date, Blue Jeans Go Green has diverted more than 600 tons of waste out of landfills and generated approximately 2 million square feet of UltraTouch Denim Insulation to assist with building efforts in communities in need. Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona will be one of the primary beneficiaries of denim collected during the Blue Jeans Go Green 200 race weekend.

“We are new to NASCAR but have learned quickly that the sport’s fans are incredibly brand loyal,” said Andrea Samber, director, consumer marketing-strategic alliances, Cotton Incorporated. “If that support translates into participation in this cause marketing program, then the Blue Jeans Go Green 200 event has the potential to be the largest weekend collection since we introduced the denim recycling program in 2006.”

Read more about Blue Jeans Go Green.

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