As printers in the garment and promo products decorating industry, we juggle many variables to run our businesses responsibly and efficiently. We house expensive equipment that requires careful maintenance, we have customer requests to satisfy, and we have a team to motivate and train. In addition to that, the responsibility of sustainability and the efforts to maintain an eco-friendly workspace can become overwhelming!
But implementing sustainable practices doesn’t have to be complicated. With a greater understanding and a few simple tweaks to your workspace, you can create an eco-friendlier print shop and reduce your carbon footprint.
Let’s Start at the Very Beginning
What does it mean to be an eco-friendly, sustainable business in the decorating industry? Sustainability refers to adopting environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices throughout production. This includes using eco-conscious materials, minimizing waste, reducing energy and water consumption, and choosing non-toxic, biodegradable inks for printing and cleaning solutions. Sustainable garment decoration also involves ethical sourcing, such as ensuring that fabrics are produced under fair labor conditions and meet environmental standards.
When you put these practices into action, you’re cutting down your shop’s environmental footprint — and also meeting the demand for more sustainable products and doing your part to make the industry a little greener.
Sustainable Printing 101: Let’s Cover the Basics
The easiest approach to sustainable printing is adopting the three Rs: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Printing processes can generate a lot of waste, from excess ink to fabric scraps and overuse of water or energy to produce orders.
Sustainable practices include:
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Reducing Waste: Reducing waste in your print shop starts with smart choices — like using eco-friendly, non-toxic inks and cleaners, conserving water through low-water printing techniques, and investing in energy-efficient equipment to lower your energy consumption. An effective washout booth helps you use less water, manage chemicals responsibly, and keep your shop’s cleanup process more eco-friendly.
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Reusing Materials: Reclaiming and reusing screens, choosing recycled paper or compostable packaging for shipments, and repurposing test prints for mock-ups or sample books are all smart ways to reduce waste. You can also encourage repeat use by offering customer incentives for returning boxes or packaging materials.
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Recycling: Put scrap fabric to good use by turning it into patches, tote bags, smaller garments, appliqué designs, or textured prints. You can also donate leftover materials to local crafters, schools, or artists — or even to animal shelters, which often use t-shirt scraps for kennel blankets. Consider partnering with brands or organizations that accept upcycled apparel to give your scraps a second life.
But Wait, There’s More!
Following the basics of sustainability is a great starting point, but let’s dive deeper and look at practical ways to integrate these ideas with your business.
Efficient Printing Helps Reduce Waste
Digital printing methods like Direct-to-Film (DTF) and Direct-to-Garment (DTG) minimize ink waste compared to traditional screen printing. These printing methods can use water-based inks free from harmful chemicals, biodegradable, and safer for workers and the environment.
Maintaining your machines and having effective workflow systems in place, such as those suggested here, can help eliminate misprints and waste. DTG and DTF are printing on demand (POD) techniques, allowing you to produce only what customers have ordered, reducing overproduction and excess inventory.
Another efficient printing method is dye-sublimation. Compared to traditional dyeing and screen printing, it uses minimal water. Dye-sublimation printing requires minimal cleaning and flushing, which reduces ink waste. It doesn’t require white ink or an underbase for dark or polyester fabrics like DTG and screen printing do.
DTF and UV-DTF Can Be Sustainably Responsible Imprinting Techniques
DTF and UV-DTF transfers are a forward-thinking approach for sustainable decoration in print shops. By adopting a print-on-demand model, these techniques mean that you only produce the exact number of items your customer orders, which helps to reduce material waste (inks, transfer paper, t-shirts) and energy consumption associated with overproduction. Using transfers for apparel and hard goods streamlines your production process and minimizes excess inventory, making it a practical choice for shops looking to lower their environmental impact while maintaining high quality in their printed designs.
Beyond reducing waste, these transfers offer additional sustainable benefits. For instance, these methods can be more energy-efficient than traditional printing techniques. They often eliminate the need for extensive pre-treatment and post-production cleaning, reducing water and energy consumption. Some manufacturers’ inks used in these processes are frequently designed to be low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other harmful chemicals, further lowering the environmental impact. Their high precision also means fewer errors and less need for reprints, contributing to a more resource-efficient company overall.
It’s Not Easy Being Green!
While many sustainable printing options are available in the industry, screen printers have the most work to do to become greener, but small changes can bring big results. Using sustainable materials, reducing water consumption, and implementing energy-efficient practices are easy adjustments to achieve a more sustainable workspace. By integrating these practices, screen printers can reduce waste, save money, and meet the growing consumer demand for environmentally responsible products. Here’s a quick checklist to get you on your way to greener pastures:
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Watch Your Screens
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Store and organize screens properly to extend their lifespan.
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Use eco-friendly screen cleaners and emulsion removers instead of harsh solvents.
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Use a dip tank system to reclaim screens efficiently instead of excessive rinsing.
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Get In the Flow
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Offer water-based heat transfers for a more sustainable alternative to vinyl.
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Install low-flow nozzles and filtration systems to reduce water waste.
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Print on organic cotton, recycled polyester, or hemp fabrics instead of conventionally grown materials.
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Be Energy Resourceful
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Use LED exposure units instead of traditional UV bulbs to save energy.
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Upgrade to energy-efficient dryers and curing systems that require lower heat.
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Power equipment with renewable energy sources when possible.
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Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
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Share your eco-friendly practices with customers to encourage sustainable choices.
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Offer recycled or upcycled apparel options, encouraging customers to make more sustainable choices.
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Implement precision ink mixing to minimize excess and incentivize your team to reduce waste.
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What Materials Are Best?
Many of the leading garment vendors in the U.S. are implementing sustainability initiatives and establishing these practices to set an eco-friendly precedent within the garment industry. For example, they offer textile recycling services to collect misprinted or damaged products, keeping them out of landfills. They are working with suppliers to develop styles made with recycled content, using their own manufacturing waste wherever possible, and they engage with industry initiatives such as Accelerating Circularity to support the creation of circular systems as a part of their collaborative effort to advance the textile industry’s move from linear to circular product development cycles.
For printers wanting more sustainable garment options, look for styles made of organic cotton, recycled polyester, hemp, or bamboo fabrics. You can also explore eco-certified textiles and review brands’ product information for ethical sourcing and fair trade considerations.
Overcoming Challenges For a Greener Future
As the demand for sustainable printing grows, businesses face several challenges in adopting eco-friendly practices. But don’t let that discourage you from exploring a greener business model. Advancements in technology and materials point toward a promising future for sustainable printing. As we move toward a greener process, it’s important to monitor your costs and decide whether or not your client base can shoulder the added expense of eco-friendly printing.
As we’ve discussed, plant- and algae-based inks can be more expensive and less readily available than traditional alternatives. If this presents a challenge to you, consider steering your customers toward DTG printing, which is a more affordable, eco-conscious printing solution because of the water-based ink.
Using sustainable packaging and biodegradable materials can add to production expenses; however, many of these materials can be reused, which could end up saving you money down the road.
Achieving vibrant, long-lasting prints with eco-friendly inks can be more challenging because some biodegradable inks and coatings have shorter shelf lives. Educating customers on the technology of DTF printing is a great tool to convert them from conventional printing methods that may have increased waste to a more sustainable option with the same outstanding print results.
Your Future’s So Bright, You Gotta Wear Shades
As the environment becomes a greater focus of the garment decorating industry, manufacturers are putting more R&D into sustainable inks and printing practices. Ongoing research into algae, soy, and plant-based inks will improve color vibrancy, durability, and availability. The development of bio-based UV inks that cure at lower temperatures will help reduce energy use.
The expansion of recycled polyester fabrics and biodegradable transfer films for garment printing will offer more options for printers to expand their green practices as more eco-conscious customers push businesses to adopt sustainable printing practices.
By tackling current challenges with innovation and commitment, the future of eco-friendly printing looks promising, scalable, and essential for a sustainable world. Incorporating these sustainable printing practices will help businesses lower their carbon footprint, improve worker safety, and appeal to the growing market of eco-conscious consumers.
Smarter Printing Starts Here at Arcus
Arcus Printers provides cutting-edge decorating technologies and equipment nationwide. Specializing in DTF and UV-DTF printing, wide-format digital fabric printing, laser cutting, embroidery, and more, we deliver high-quality solutions backed by expert support. Since 2004, our team has empowered businesses of all sizes to unleash creativity and achieve exceptional results.
Looking to scale your shop, expand your capabilities, or take on more complex orders with less risk? DTF, DTG, and UV-DTF printing offer a versatile, cost-effective, and more sustainable way to grow, reducing material waste, excess inventory, and setup costs compared to traditional methods.
Contact the experienced team at Arcus Printers today to find the right equipment and support to take your shop to the next level.
Learn more: www.arcusprinters.com
