The earth is besieged with a wave of pollution as an unaccounted amount of pollutants are ending up in seas or dumped around the globe. Where textile dyes vary printing toxics are one of the top contributors undoubtedly.
Numerous research is telling that though no manufacturing process is without adverse impact on the environment, digital textile printing is surely one of the responsive in today’s textile industry.
Currently, digital textile printing is rising in acceptance for designers opting for a more environmentally aware process compared to many of the other traditional printing and dyeing methods. Its reputation as the eco-friendlier of the printing processes is predominantly measured through the reduced amount of waste inevitably produced.
Benefits of digital textile printing
- There are no screens or plates to produce (as for screen print or rotary printing) and so needs less setup equipment.
- Printing direct to fabric means less wasted surplus ink (unlike dyeing) through precise application of the artwork.
- The inks we do use are certificated as Azo dye-free.
- Using the best quality inks through the print heads stops clogging and waste.
- Many of our fabrics also have an OEKO-TEX certification or are to European REACH standards.
- There is less use of chemicals and water than traditional methods. The use of water is unavoidable however, by investing in high-tech equipment we have reduced our water consumption to the minimum required to achieve production. The disposal of wastewater is treated through approved channels and vetted by the local authority as effluent friendly.
- Our machinery is designed to last. We are diligent with our maintenance programs and our staff are highly trained in their operation. Taking care of the machinery prolongs its lifespan.
- There are unavoidable fabric off-cuts caused by rolling on and off the printer beds, testing print heads, etc. Mindful not to clog our landfill sites and to protect your copyright, we send all wasted fabric for recycling. Our waste fabrics are collected by a recycling specialist who shreds them and uses the resulting fiber as bioenergy, incinerating it to create heat sources and electricity. Plain fabric offcuts may also be donated to education and charity facilities.
