Eco-Conscious Printing
Since our company was founded nearly a decade ago, we have made it a priority to implement sustainable production practices and promote a company wide ethic of ecological responsibility. The result of our effort is what we like to call Eco-Conscious Printing. We are often asked if we offer green printing through the use of eco-friendly inks (we’ll cover inks in a moment). It is a common misconception that supposed eco-friendly ink means green printing, it’s not just about the inks you use, eco-conscious printing is all about evaluating every aspect of your operation and making the necessary changes for the good of the environment and without compromising quality. We are committed to creating the most eco-friendly apparel printing operation possible. This is not an overnight process, here are some of the steps that we have taken to achieve our goal:
- Contracted Safety Kleen™ for safe removal and processing of all waste inks and aqueous chemicals, for more information visit: www.safety-kleen.com
- Installed filtration devices to filter waste water
- Reduced use of aerosols by over 95%
- Switched from industry standard solvent based cleaning products to aqueous and citrus based products.
- Worked extensively with the City of West Sacramento and Waste Management to develop a comprehensive recycling program and ongoing training for employees.
- Implemented the use of post consumer recycled content packaging products including corrugated boxes
- Email invoicing and proofing
- Converted to water soluble, wax based, Computer To Screen (CTS) imaging system, therefore eliminating the use of film positives and imaging chemicals.
- We have begun the application process for SGP Verification through the newly created Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, for more information visit: www.sgppartnership.org
- There has been a long debate over the eco-friendly benefits of waterbased printing inks in the apparel printing industry. We are currently working with a leading ink manufacturer on the implementation of a next generation, eco-friendly waterbased ink system. These inks are certified as Phthalate and PVC free conforming to CPSIA standards. Next generation waterbased inks are especially important as they have many benefits over traditional waterbased inks including: improved eco-friendly properties, increased shelf life, and print characteristics that match or better traditional plastisol inks. More information will become available as we have completed the sampling and testing process
For additional info, questions, or comments, please contact:
Tom Davenport, CEO/Founder
tom@motioncompany.com