BC Transit, Victoria , British Columbia, along with LaFrance Industries of LaFrance , S.C., announces the development of a newly designed Eco Friendly seating fabric for use in the upcoming 2009 BC Transit bus procurement. BC Transit has developed a fresh new image for the future bus procurement which is reflective of its primary purpose-“Linking Communities, Businesses and Lifestyles.” The pattern design and colors of blue, green and white are symbolic of the image of BC Transit which is new, clean, reliable and bright.

The development coincides with the news of BCs’ major transit expansion, which is a result of increased funding announced by the province earlier this year. The regional service will increase by seven percent. BC Transit is known as one of the most innovative transit operations in North America and has realized a steady growth in passengers.

LaFrance Industries chose to use Repreve, a family of 100-percent recycled yarns, in the introduction of the Ritz Repreve fabric collection. Repreve is manufactured by Unifi Inc. of Greensboro, N.C. “As the only U.S. producer of plush transit fabrics, we developed these Repreve, certified fabrics to satisfy the markets demand to utilize the most environmentally responsible transit coach available.” according to Judson Boehmer, president of LaFrance.

LaFrance’s Director of Product Development Ken Archer worked directly with the yarn supplier, Unifi Inc., in an effort to develop this transit seating fabric with Repreve. The Repreve, yarns are independently certified for the claim of 100-percent recycled content through Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). Additionally, to raise the level of product transparency, Unifi has certified the Repreve, fabrics for the recycled content.

According to Joe Brinkmeyer, director of sales for LaFrance, the fabric development for BC Transit was focused on providing eco-friendly, high performance fabrics. “The choice for BC Transit was easy,” said Joanna Morton, BC Transit spokesperson. “We chose a seat cover that was environmentally responsible and met our design and budget requirements. The new fabric featuring Repreve will be an everyday reminder to our passengers that BC Transit is committed to reducing its environmental footprint.”

The current BC fleet is 955 buses. The planned procurement for 2009 is 115 new buses which will utilize the Repreve, certified fabric from LaFrance.

Unifi Inc. recently announced that Repreve was selected as a feature for the international television show “How It's Made.” The segment will highlight the unique production processes to manufacture Repreve, a first-quality 100-percent recycled yarn.

The “How It's Made” film crew visited Unifi's Yadkinville, N.C., manufacturing facility to document the production of Repreve, making Unifi the first U.S. textile mill to be featured on the show. The first segments featuring Repreve will air on Discovery’s Science Channel:
Friday, January 9 at 9:00 p.m. EST
Monday, January 12 at 4:00 p.m. EST