Defining "sustainability" in the context of fabric
digital dyeing involves specific metrics related to environmental, economic,
and social impacts of the dyeing process. These metrics help ensure
transparency and avoid the risk of greenwashing. Here are key metrics to consider:
Environmental Sustainability Metrics:
- Water
Usage: Digital printing typically uses significantly less water than
traditional methods. Therefore, digital dyeing is expected to follow suit.
- Chemical
Usage: Digital dyeing consequently requires fewer and less dyes and harmful
chemicals. Importantly, it eliminates the need for salt, which often
disrupts wastewater treatment processes and increases costs.
- Energy
Consumption: Electricity is typical clean energy to be used for –
Digital Dyeing Houses.
The greenhouse gas emissions per
kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity generation vary widely, ranging from less
than 0.01 kgCO2e/kWh for renewables like nuclear, wind, and solar, to around
0.9 to 1.1 kgCO2e/kWh for coal-fired power plants.
- Waste
Generation: Using 20 – 30 percent of water consumed in traditional
dyeing.
Digital dyeing should produce less
waste and less dyes and chemicals content and free from salt.
- Carbon
Footprint: Rotary printing house uses natural gas and heated oil;
natural gas emission is 2.03 kg CO2 per cubic meter plus 2.68 kg CO2 per
liter oil. Total is 4.71 kg.
- Effluent
Quality: The less quantity of waste makes it easy and cost effective to
treatment.
Economic Sustainability Metrics:
- Cost
Efficiency: Taking into account the cost metrics of textile digital
printing compared to traditional methods, along with the projected market
share, estimated at USD 2.7 billion for 2024 and expected to reach 4.36
billion by 2031, and considering its significant ecological benefits, I
believe digital dyeing will prove to be cost-effective.
- Production
Speed: Considering the absence of salt that will shorten the overall
process and the ease of use, digital dyeing can speed up the process.
- Scalability:
Digital dyeing will be highly efficient in adjusting production levels to
match demand fluctuations without experiencing notable cost increases or
overburdening resources as proven from digital printing metrices.
Social Sustainability Metrics:
- Worker
Safety: Inspiration from industry leaders such as: Transcontinental
Inc., Bertelsmann Printing Group, and RR Donnelley. By adopting similar
strategies, comparable success in minimizing hazards and ensuring a safe
working environment for all employees is achievable.
- Job
Creation: Digital dyeing represents a significant advancement beyond
digital printing, supported by successful examples such as Kornit Digital,
Spoonflower, Printful, and FabFad. These companies have demonstrated the
creation of new jobs with fair wages through the establishment of
production units both locally and globally.
- Community
Impact: Digital textile printing can save as much as 95% of industrial
water usage, whilst energy consumption can be reduced by 75% - leading to
the minimum use of resources and textile waste (Advanced Market Analytics),
by FESPA, 28/06/2021. Digital dyeing follows the same technique.
Avoiding Greenwashing in Fabric Digital Dyeing:
- Transparency:
An important development seen by environmentalists, consumers and
producers is that there is a significant decrease in electricity and water
consumption in digital textile printing. It can be said that over 30%
savings on electricity costs and almost 95% in terms of water consumption.
Research gate: June 2019, International Journal of Science Technology and
Society 7(2):38
- Third-Party
Certifications: Inks, chemicals, and auxiliaries used in textile
digital dyeing should obtain certifications from reputable organizations
(e.g., OEKO-TEX, GOTS) to validate claims about reduced environmental
impact and safe chemical usage.
- Lifecycle
Analysis: The proven reduction in water consumption, accompanied by
lower usage of dyes and chemicals, and the absence of salt, along with the
practice of coloring fabric on the face-side only, significantly reduces
processing time. This not only extends the fabric's lifecycle but also
decreases recycling costs.
- Stakeholder
Engagement: It is crucial to educate stakeholders—customers,
employees, and local communities—about verified sustainability claims that
are both accurate and meaningful. This transparency helps inform and
engage everyone involved, ensuring a shared understanding of our
commitment to sustainability.
- Consistent
Messaging: We acknowledge certain limitations in digitally printing
wool, particularly with hairy wool, where achieving high-resolution images
is hindered by the need to lift print heads above the fibers. However,
this issue does not arise with digital dyeing for solid colors. Moving
forward, our next challenge lies in developing solutions for blends such
as Polyester/Cotton.
By focusing on these metrics and principles, companies can
credibly define and promote the sustainability of fabric digital dyeing,
minimizing the risk of greenwashing.
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References:
Emissions Calculations:
https://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/simplified-ghg-emissions-calculator
https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php
Market analysis and economic cost efficiency:
https://www.coherentmarketinsights.com/industry-reports/digital-textile-printing-market
Social Sustainability Metrics:
https://tctranscontinental.com/en-ca/node/57
https://www.bertelsmann.com/corporate-responsibility/reporting/
https://www.rrd.com/about/commitments/sustainability
https://www.spoonflower.com/en/about
https://www.printful.com/recent-updates
Research gate
