Throwing footballs in lieu of painting with a brush, Detroit Lions Quarterback Matthew Stafford has created five, six-foot canvas paintings to benefit a Detroit youth centre.

Stafford teamed up with Unifi’s Repreve, a leading recycled fibre brand, to create and auction the five paintings, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Sports, Academics, Youth (S.A.Y.) Detroit Play Center, which offers athletic and academic programmes to Detroit’s youth.

Opting out of using a traditional paintbrush, Stafford dipped 12 footballs in paint and threw them at four-feet wide by six-feet tall Repreve based canvases made from 35 recycled plastic bottles to create five original paintings. Starting this week, an auction of all five one-of-a-kind paintings are open for bidding on eBay for seven days, closing on 1 March.

Canvas from recycled plastic bottles

“I value many lessons learned playing sports in my youth, and rebuilding this centre provides an opportunity for Detroit’s youth to learn through the same process. It’s been rewarding to help support the continued improvement of the S.A.Y. Detroit Play Center,” said Stafford.

“The experience of creating these paintings is one that I’ll never forget. Each canvas is made from recycled plastic bottles and serves as a reminder of how recycling can contribute to protecting our environment for future generations to enjoy.”

Recycling and sustainability

Repreve is a fibre made from recycled materials, such as plastic bottles, and is used in some of the world’s leading brands.

Repreve is the official recycling and sustainability partner of the Detroit Lions, and is working together with the franchise to educate fans about the importance of recycling and showcasing the quality consumer products created from transformed plastic bottles. During the past two seasons, Lions fans have recycled 96,425 plastic bottles in-stadium.

“When Repreve learned about Stafford’s initiative to transform the play centre, we immediately wanted to help,” said Roger Berrier, president and CEO of Unifi. “Auctioning the paintings allows anyone who is interested to not only participate in the cause but to own a piece of the project.”

Repreve fibre

Repreve is Unifi’s flagship brand of recycled fibres, made from recycled materials, including plastic bottles. It can be found in products ranging from apparel and hosiery to automotive and industrial applications, and is used by some of the world’s leading brands, including Patagonia, Haggar, Quiksilver and Ford.

Repreve’s #TurnItGreen initiative is designed to encourage recycling and raise awareness among consumers that recycled bottles can be turned into cool products they use every day.

www.repreve.com