SUSTAINABILITY

IN PRINTING
MID-TERM ASSIGNMENT
Anika
Ilisha
Navya
Sanjeevani
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN
THE PRINTING INDUSTRY?

The garment printing industry contributes to global pollution through textile

dyeing and treatment, accounting for 20% of industrial water pollution and 17-20%
of industrial water pollution.
The use of chemical dyes and inks, coupled with inadequate wastewater treatment.
Over 600 dyeing and printing units in Pali, Rajasthan, are shut down due to water
pollution concerns.
The National Green Tribunal suspended operations in units without consent, with
90% not having approval.
Environmental groups argue that these units
draws 50 million liters of groundwater daily,
lowering the water table.
Zero discharge systems and water recycling
are recommended.
 Environmental

Three Pillars of Sustainability

Economic Social
Environmental Social Economic

reduction of carbon fair treatment of Global consumption

emissions workers of clothing= 560$
Reuse and recycle of a safe working billion a year.
materials environment Global t-shirt
adoption of circular ethical labour printing market size
economy ideas practices. was valued at USD
reduce energy use diversity and 4,314.0 million in
new eco-friendly inclusion 2022 and CAGR is
techniques gender equality expected to expand
11.1% from 2023 to
2030.
CONVENTIAL PRINTING TEC HNIQ UES

Screen Printing:
Process: Involves creating a stencil (screen) for each color in the design. Ink is then forced
through the stencil onto the fabric using a squeegee.
Screen printing requires separate screens for each color, making it less efficient for
designs with multiple colors.
It also generates more waste due to cleanup and disposal of screens and excess ink.
Heat Transfer Printing:
Process: It involves printing the design onto transfer paper and then transferring it onto
the garment using heat and pressure from a heat press.
The printed design may crack or peel over time, especially after multiple washes.
It's also less cost-effective for large production runs compared to other methods.

Plastisol Printing:
Process: It uses PVC-based ink that is cured onto the fabric using heat. The ink sits on
top of the fabric rather than being absorbed into it.
It contain harmful chemicals and require additional steps for cleanup and disposal. They
are not eco-friendly and can contribute to environmental pollution.
Sustainability in Printing
Digital Printing Pigment Printing Water-based and
Uses specialised inkjet Involves applying color Eco-friendly
printers to print the design directly to fabric surfaces Inks:
directly onto the cloth. The using inks with color Water is used as a solvent
cloth takes up the ink and particles derived from in the formulation of
becomes supple as a result. natural or synthetic water-based inks rather
It printing produces prints sources, resulting in than hazardous chemicals.
of superior quality with environmentally friendly Emit less VOCs and are
outstanding brightness and and wash-resistant prints. more environmentally
color accuracy. Pigment printing offers friendly.
It works well for on- versatile textile coloration They create prints that are
demand printing also. with good wash fastness. soft and breathable
 CASE STUDY

DI GI TAL PRINITING
It is a non-impact and non-contact printing technology that allows
direct transfer of a design onto the fabric from a computer file
without the need for screen production or heavy-duty machinery.
Digital printing of textiles differentiates itself from other printing
methods by enabling flexibility, process enhancement, and
innovation.
It enables reduced set-up costs, small batches, design freedom, and
increased potential for innovation due to customization.
About 11%-13% of all textile products are printed today
Digital printing technologies are facilitating the fashion industry to
be greener, with over 30 billion square meters of textile printing
carried out annually.

Source: https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/84108059/JTEFT-05-00205-libre.pdf?
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Printing methods used in global market in 2008 and 2019 Production process of Conventional Vs Digital Printing
 Introduction to Energy
Efficient textile Printing

Energy efficiency is crucial in textile printing. Digital printing

offers significant benefits over traditional methods. We will
explore a case study involving CREDITEX S.A.A

Order Details
Fabric : 100% Cotton
Colorant: Reactive Dye/ink
Order quantity : 1000 meter
16 color designs
 RSP DTP

Electricity Utilization (kWh) 537.91 347.53

ELECTRI CI TY
COS T Electricity cost for the order 36.25 23.42

Electricity Cost per Meter 0.036 0.023

 RSP DTP

133.6
Gas Utilozation (metric cube) 99.19
0

GAS COS T
120.2
Gas cost for the Order 89.27
4

Gas Cost Per Meter 0.120 0.089

 RSP DTP

Water Utilization (cubic metre) 1.68 1.08

WATER COS T
Water Cost for the Order($) 2.61 1.68

Water Cost per Meter ($) 0.003 0.002

Environmental Impact of RSP and DSP

Electricity Consumption (kWh) of DSP was 35.39% lower than

RSP
Gas Consumption (m³ )of DSP was 25.78% lower than RSP.
Water Consumption (L) of DSP was 35.58% lower than RSP.
Chemical Consumption (kg)of DSP was 28.03% lower than RSP.
Space Occupancy of DSP was 23.42% lower than RSP
chemical wastage (kg) DSP was 99.64% lower than RSP
 ENERGY SAVING TECHNOLOGIES IN
APPAREL INDUSTRY

Mimaki TX300P-1800B

Mimaki TX300P-1800B
Mimaki Tiger-1800B MkIII Kornit Avalanche HD6
Unique Belt fed
MAPS( Mimaki Advanced Eliminates the need for
mechanism that reduces
Pass system). screen preparation and
fabric wastage.
Optimizes ink droplet extensive drying
placement . processes.
 TOXICITY PRESENT IN
PRINTING INDUSTRY
The printing industry faces toxicity due to factors such as
print inks, solvents, dyes, pigments.
Traditional screen printing uses plastisol inks containing
harmful substances like PVC and phthalates, which can
be transferred due to prolonged skin contact.
Other toxic substances include azo dyes, formaldehyde,
and heavy metals.
Chemical solvents used in cleaning screens and
equipment can contain volatile organic compounds,
contributing to air pollution.
The industry is adopting sustainable practices and
implementing certification program like OEKO-TEX and
GOTS to address these issues.
TOXI C SUBS TANCES
FOUND IN P RINTING
Some of the harmful chemicals involved in pigment
and sceeen are:
Formaldehyde
Phthalates
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Heavy Metals
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
Chlorinated Solvents
Aromatic Amines
UV - Curable Inks
 ECO-FRIENDLY
ALTERNATIVES
The toxic substances could be replaced by the
following alternatives:
Water-Based Ink
Non-Toxic Pigments
Soyabean-Based or Vegetable-Based Inks
Low-Impact Inks
Biodegradable Cleaners
UV Led Inks
RESTRICTED S UBS TANCES
LI ST (RS L)
BUYER NAME- GANT
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CASE S TUDY F ROM

BANGLADES H
 Heavy metals in printing ink, KEY FI NDINGS
including titanium oxide, chromate,
and iron, pose environmental risks
by polluting groundwater.
Pollutants originate from dyes,
starch, gums oil, china clay,
mordant, acid, and metallic salts.
To reduce pollution, the printing
industry can collect and reuse non-
used pastes, reduce the usage of
reactive dyes with urea and ensure
paste contains no more than 30
grams of urea per kg of clothing.
 LI S T OF
HARMFUL
S UBS TANCES
FOUND I N
PRI NTI NG
 To eliminate or replace urea in cellulose printing, several
approaches can be considered. These include:
Adopting two-phase flash printing.
Complete or partial substitution of urea with an alternative
chemical like Methaxyl FN-T.
Replacement of the use of white spirit kerosene by a water-
based system.
Minimizing the use of copper and chrome salts.
Avoiding the use of solvent-based pastes in pigment printing.
Different types of Biodegradable natural thickening
auxiliaries should be chosen.
Printing screens should be replaced by non-contact
techniques like ink-jet printing.
CASE STUDY S o u rce:https:/ / l i n k . s p r i n g e r . c o m / a r t i c l e / 1 0 . 1 0 0 7 / s 1 0 0 9 8 -012-0453-x

AHP-BASED WATER-CONSERVATION AND

WASTE-REDUCTION INDICATOR SYSTEM IN
CHINA'S TEXTILE-PRINTING INDUSTRY
 KEY FINDINGS
Establishes a structured model for evaluating cleaner production,
enabling comprehensive assessment of water-conservation and waste-
reduction efforts.
Identifies key areas for improvement based on specific criteria.
Determines importance of indicators like water resource management,
raw material consumption, and pollutants creation through a judgment
matrix and weight calculation.
Facilitates integration of cleaner production technologies by evaluating
their effectiveness in reducing water consumption and pollution.
Guides textile-printing enterprises in selecting and implementing
suitable techniques to achieve water-conservation and waste-reduction
goals.
Cleaner Production Technologies for
Textile-Printing Industry
Bio-enzyme desizing technology: Eco-friendly, high desizing percentages
reduce water consumption and wastewater.
Cold pad-batch pretreatment of cotton fabric: Reduces water consumption by
50% and improves fabric quality.
Recycling method of weak caustic soda in mercerization: Reduces wastewater
and COD disposal while yielding clear water for production.
New non-alkaline scouring and bleaching method: Uses urea instead of alkali,
reducing water consumption and wastewater treatment difficulty.
Plasma technology: Reduces water consumption, energy usage, and
environmental pollution in pretreatment, dyeing, and after treatment
processes.
Ultrasonic wave technology in desizing, bleaching, and washing:
Accelerates expansion and detachment of size film, reducing energy and
water consumption.
Short-process all-pigment dyeing and printing: Eliminates need for
coloration, color fixing, soaping, and washing, reducing pollutant
disposal without wastewater.
Transfer printing: Reduces water consumption, COD disposal, and
waste water treatment difficulty compared to traditional wet printing
methods.
Foam dyeing: Reduces water consumption and wastewater after dyeing.
Textile digital printing: Reduces water consumption by 30% and
eliminates waste during the printing process.