Brunswick, Maine, August 24, 2011 –  Atayne, for the second consecutive year, is partnering with Freedom’s Run, a popular running event in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to provide custom shirts to all participants, demonstrating the event’s commitment to the health of people and the planet.

The Freedom’s Run Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and Kids Run is scheduled for October 1, 2011.  The all-volunteer event donates 100% of the proceeds to build fitness trails and gardens at local schools.

According to organizers, the event is “a race of historic proportions.”  The marathon course traces the Potomac River and border between West Virginia and Maryland and includes four National Parks: Harpers Ferry; the C&O Canal; Antietam National Battlefield; and the Potomac Heritage Trail.  Capped at 2,700 total participants, last year’s event sold out.

Freedom’s Run organizers employ a comprehensive approach to minimizing the event’s environmental impact raising the bar on environmentally sound practices for large races.  The race’s many “green” efforts include recycling and food-waste composting and locally sourced finisher medals.

Atayne is a leader in environmental and social responsibility in the sports-apparel manufacturing industry, making Atayne’s custom shirts a natural fit for Freedom Run’s environmental ethos.  Atayne is the only performance apparel company dedicated to using 100% recycled or organic materials and manufacturing fiber to finish in the USA.  Additionally, Atayne requires independent third-party verification for all its material inputs to ensure Atayne apparel does not contain chemicals or materials that are potentially harmful to people.  The result is industry-leading standards for apparel that is safe and, like Freedom’s Run, healthy for people and the planet.

Freedom’s Run marathoners will receive an Atayne Long Sleeve Performance REC T, and half marathoners will get a Short Sleeve Performance REC T, both made in the USA from 100%-recycled polyester.  5K and 10K runners will receive one of Atayne’s 100% Texas-grown organic cotton Ts.

“Atayne is proud to partner with Freedom’s Run again,” said Jeremy Litchfield, Atayne founder and chief pacesetter.  “Freedom’s Run’s race committee understands that our nation’s heritage is interwoven with the environment and recognizes the importance of celebrating our heritage through preservation of our resources for future generations.”

“Freedom’s Run partnered with Atayne because environmental responsibility is an important part of our event,” said Dr. Mark Cucuzzella, race director for Freedom’s Run.  “Atayne shares our dedication to sustainability.  The shirts perform extremely well, plus they look and feel great.  The runners really like them,” said Cucuzzella.

According to Litchfield, Atayne’s custom race apparel business is growing quickly to meet skyrocketing demand from eco-minded organizers of marathons and other running and cycling events across the country.

“Endurance athletes spend their free time enjoying the outdoors and care about the planet,” said Litchfield.  “They want performance apparel that reflects their environmental values,” said Litchfield.

About Atayne, LLC
Brunswick, Maine-based Atayne inspires positive environmental and social change through the power of active lifestyles. Atayne uses innovative technologies and materials made from plastic bottles and fabric scraps–in other words, trash!–to create high-performing athletic and outdoor gear that is safe for people and the planet. www.atayne.com

About Freedom’s Run
Freedom’s Run makes up five events for runners and walkers of all ages and abilities. The events explore the land in a challenging and scenic marathon connecting Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, The C&O Canal, The Potomac Heritage Trail, and Antietam National Battlefield; a half marathon through Antietam and the C&O; a 5k and 10k crossing the Potomac and running out and back on the C&O; and a free kids fun run touring historic Shepherdstown. www.freedomsrun.org

About Two Rivers Treads
Shepherdstown, WV based Two Rivers Treads is the one of first specialty running and walking stores to focus solely on natural running and walking.  They offer products and services to assist in the transition toward, or maintenance of, natural and efficient running and walking form. www.trtreads.org

Media Contact for Atayne
Brock Foreman
Two Lights Consulting
207-233-7968
brock.foreman@gmail.com

Brunswick, Maine, May 5, 2011 — Atayne, a company that makes performance outdoor and athletic apparel in the USA from 100%-recycled materials, has partnered with Safe Passage’s Esperanza 5K run-walk scheduled for Saturday, May 15, 2011 at Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine.  As an event partner, Atayne will provide race shirts to the first 200 people to register.  Atayne will also host a shoe drive and organize an Atayne Trash Runner Team during the race.

This year marks Safe Passage’s seventh-annual Esperanza 5K run-walk  The popular spring race is a fundraiser for Safe Passage, a non-profit founded by a Greely High School and Bowdoin graduate Hanley Denning in 1999 to foster education and create opportunities for hundreds of at-risk children and impoverished families who live in the Guatemala City garbage dump community.  Apropos of Safe Passage’s mission to move people beyond poverty, esperanza literally means hope.

Race registration information for the Esperanza 5K is available here online.

The Atayne race shirts for the Esperanza 5K  are manufactured in the USA from a blend of 65%-recycled cotton and 35%-recycled polyester.  The shirts will feature an Atayne custom-designed race graphic with the tagline “Run For Hope.”

Atayne will be collecting used shoes at the event’s high-school venue on behalf of Soles4Souls, a nonprofit that donates shoes to millions of children and adults in need in over 127 countries.  Atayne encourages participants to bring their old running shoes, although all types of shoes will be accepted.

Atayne’s Trash Runner Team will be scouring the course with gloves and trash bags to ensure neighborhood roadsides will be cleaner than they were before race day.  Atayne Trash Runners are renowned for their exuberance, endurance, and exceptional recycling skills.  For information about joining Atayne’s Trash Runner Team or to learn how to start your own Trash Running group, visit Atayne’s Trash Runner’s web page.

“We appreciate the strong support from Atayne to help us put on a fantastic running event benefiting the at-risk children and families our organization serves in Guatemala,” said Alexandra Cowen, Race Coordinator for Safe Passage’s Esperanza 5K.  “Atayne’s social and environmental values blend well with our message, and their t-shirts look great, too!,” said Cowen.

“Our team at Atayne is proud to partner with Safe Passage, which works tirelessly to make a huge difference in the lives of so many children in Guatemala,” said Jeremy Litchfield, Atayne’s founder and Chief Pacesetter.  “Thousands of people live in poverty in the Guatemala City garbage dump community,” said Litchfield.  “It’s inconceivable to most of us in the U.S. that such a place even exists.  Safe Passage’s Esperanza 5K highlights the global impact people and businesses in any community can make through sports,” said Litchfield.

About Atayne, LLC
Brunswick, Maine-based Atayne inspires positive environmental and social change through the power of active lifestyles. Atayne uses innovative technologies and materials made from plastic bottles and fabric scraps–in other words, trash!–to create high-performing athletic and outdoor gear that is safe for people and the planet. www.atayne.com

Media Contact for Atayne
Brock Foreman
Two Lights Consulting
207-233-7968
brock.foreman@gmail.com

Brunswick, Maine, April 25, 2011 — Atayne, a company that makes performance outdoor and athletic apparel in the USA from 100%-recycled materials, was recently re-certified as a B Corporation.  B Corporations are a growing worldwide movement of for-profit companies voluntarily choosing to adhere to higher standards of corporate accountability, social responsibility, and environmental performance.  Atayne has been a certified B Corporation since March 2009.

B Corporations or “benefit corporations” like Atayne are a new type of company that make business decisions that benefit society and the environment, not just shareholders.

B Corporation certification is offered by a four-year-old, nonprofit organization called B Lab.  Certified B Corporations must take and pass a “B Impact Rating System” that assesses social and environmental performance.  B Corporation members are also required to adopt the “B Corporation Legal Framework” designed to expand corporate transparency and accountability beyond what is required from traditional corporations.

Companies seeking B Certification is a fast-growing business trend.  Atayne shares B Certification status with more than 400 companies, including several top consumer brands renowned for their leadership and best practices in corporate ethics and environmental responsibility.

Governments are readily taking notice of the movement.  B Lab’s certification and legal framework served as the model for legislation codifying benefit-corporation status in Maryland, Vermont, New Jersey and Virginia.  Lawmakers in several other states are considering similar business legislation.

“B Corporation certification is key to distinguish good companies from just good marketing.” Said Jay Coen Gilbert, Cofounder of B Lab. “Atayne is one such company and a leader of the movement for a better way to do business. With their innovation and commitment to the triple bottom line, Atayne is setting a new standard for their industry.”

“Consumers are looking for brands with integrity,” said Jeremy Litchfield, Atayne founder and Chief Pacesetter.  “Third-party certification from B Corporation identifies the truly socially and environmentally responsible manufacturers like Atayne and distinguishes them from companies that are good at marketing,” said Litchfield.  “If Atayne wasn’t fully committed to benefiting the health of people and the planet, we’d be just another performance apparel manufacturer.  B Corporation certification helps Atayne tell its story, which provides a financial advantage for our company,” said Litchfield.

The time and effort it takes to submit an application for B Corporation certification is often rewarding in itself.

“Filling out the B Impact Rating System assessment every two years to maintain our B Corporation certification helps us review Atayne’s practices and improve our performance,” said Litchfield.

About B Labs
B Lab is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.  B Lab drives systemic change through three interrelated initiatives: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between “good companies” and just good marketing; 2) accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of B Lab’s GIIRS impact rating system by institutional investors; and 3) promoting legislation creating a new corporate form that meets higher standards of purpose, accountability and transparency.   www.bcorporation.net

About Atayne, LLC
Brunswick, Maine-based Atayne inspires positive environmental and social change through the power of active lifestyles. Atayne uses innovative technologies and materials made from plastic bottles and fabric scraps–in other words, trash!–to create high-performing athletic and outdoor gear that is safe for people and the planet. www.atayne.com

Media Contact for Atayne
Brock Foreman
Two Lights Consulting
207-233-7968
brock.foreman@gmail.com

Brunswick, Maine, March 7, 2011 — Atayne founder and social entrepreneur Jeremy Litchfield will be the keynote speaker at the Techtextil North America Symposium, the only trade show in the Americas dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens, in Las Vegas on March 15, 2011.

Jeremy Litchfield founded Atayne in May 2007 to inspire positive environmental and social change through the power of active lifestyles. Atayne leverages groundbreaking technologies and uses recycled materials to design high performance apparel.  The company’s flagship top–the Atayne Grind T–is made from 100% recycled plastic, sourced from used bottles and made in North America.  With an expanding line of apparel for runners, cyclists, and other sweaty and fun human-powered activities, Atayne has quickly earned a strong reputation among environmentally-minded outdoor enthusiasts.  As a certified B Corporation, Atayne has emerged as a leader in socially-responsible business practices.

The three-day Techtextil North America trade show showcases the latest technology and applications and the overall direction of the technical textile and nonwovens industry. The trade show is attended by exhibitors, experts, and leaders from around the world.

“It’s an honor to be the keynote speaker at Techtextil North America,” said Jeremy Litchfield, Atayne’s founder.  “I look forward to sharing Atayne’s experience and am excited to talk about how businesses, especially in the apparel and textile industries, need to move beyond terminology like green or sustainability to embrace a new concept called thrivability,” said Litchfield.

Litchfield says that unlike words like green or sustainability, thrivability recognizes that environmental prosperity and economic growth are not mutually exclusive.  “I want to inspire business leaders and social entrepreneurs to blaze ahead with the knowledge that both the planet and businesses can thrive together,” said Litchfield.

Techtextil North America
Techtextil North America is the only trade show in the Americas dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens. The show assembles all vertical aspects of the technical textile industry. From research and development, through raw materials and production processes and finally ending in conversion, further treatment and recycling.  A key component of Techtextil North America is the Symposium which aspires to be the leading conference for the technical textiles industry in the Americas.

For more information, visit www.techtextilNA.com

About Atayne, LLC
Brunswick, Maine-based Atayne inspires positive environmental and social change through the power of active lifestyles.  Atayne uses innovative technologies and materials made from plastic bottles and fabric scraps–in other words, trash!–to create high-performing athletic and outdoor gear that is safe for people and the planet. www.atayne.com

Media Contact for Atayne
Brock Foreman
Two Lights Consulting
207-233-7968
brock.foreman@gmail.com

The Maine Track Club is helping launch a really cool Half Marathon in Brunswick, Maine on April 2, 2011.  Read more about Race The Runways on the Maine Track Club site. If you’re not registering to run.  Please consider volunteering at the race.  It’s going to be a blast.