President Obama has been the subject of some good-natured ribbing over the jeans he sported last week to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the MLB All-Stars game. The fervor among fashion editors and fashionistas reached new heights on The Today Show when the President admitted to host Meredith Vieira that he is "a little frumpy."

"We're delighted to see that President Obama loves his jeans as much as we do," says Paula G. Rosario, Vice President, Consumer Marketing - Strategic Alliances, Cotton Incorporated. "But if he wanted to retire his current look, he could donate those jeans to the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.(R) denim drive, where they would take on new life as natural cotton fiber insulation. And we're currently working with National Geographic Kids magazine as they set a Guinness World Record(TM) for Largest Collection of Clothes to Recycle right in the Obamas' backyard: at Union Station, in Washington, DC on August 12," Rosario adds.

    Created by Cotton Incorporated in 2006, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.(R) denim drive was established to recycle denim into natural cotton fiber insulation and aid communities in need. Through a multi-stage process, donated denim is recycled into UltraTouch(TM) Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation, an environmentally friendly insulation, which is then used in building houses in areas affected by natural disasters. It takes approximately 500 pairs of jeans to insulate one average-size U.S. house. To date, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.(R) denim drive has collected nearly 100,000 denim pieces nationwide, producing insulation used in new homes for more than 180 families in the Gulf Coast region.

    "We'd be delighted and honored to convert President Obama's blue jeans into UltraTouch(TM) Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation that can be used to upgrade the White House insulation, or wrap the White House hot water heaters, which would reduce energy costs, " says Tod Kean, President of Bonded Logic, which manufacturers the insulation. "I can't really say if his jeans are fashionable or not, but saving money on your energy bills never goes out of style," Kean adds.

    About COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.(R)

    The first COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.(R) denim drive in 2006 collected 14,566 denim pieces nationwide; more than double the anticipated amount. In 2007 and 2008, the COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.(R) denim drive expanded its reach through partnerships with national retailers and organizations, including American Eagle Outfitters, National Jean Company, Ernest Sewn, Gap, G by Guess, and Guess by Marciano, as well as Warner Bros. Pictures. To date, the natural cotton fiber insulation produced has been used in building new homes for more than 180 families in the Gulf Coast region.

    Part of the recycling process, Allan Company, a leader in the recycling industry, bales the denim in preparation for becoming insulation. JBM Fibers, a leading manufacturer of reprocessed fibers returns the denim to its original fiber state, cotton. Bonded Logic Inc. manufactures the UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation. For more information, visit
http://www.cottonfrombluetogreen.org.

    About Cotton Incorporated

    Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The Program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton. For more information, visit http://www.cottoninc.com.

Learn more about fiber recycling.