Eco-friendly Print Design Options

What does it even mean for #printingink to be eco-friendly? One of my favorite things about our EcoAlly community is how detailed they are in their questions around #sustainability. They take the time to optimize even the small details - inks, adhesives, labels, etc.   EcoEnclose gets dozens of questions weekly about #printing #ink and how to make the most #ecofriendly choices possible while still meeting aesthetic, budget, and MOQ requirements. Our comprehensive #Sustainable Printing and Ink Resource Center was developed to be your go-to spot for questions about custom branded packaging and sustainable ink decisions. https://lnkd.in/gcX6dJjN Here are a few common questions we get! 👉 What is ink made out of? Printing inks typically include some or all of the following: pigments that gives the ink its color, binders that help pigments adhere to their substrate, carriers that carry the pigment to the substrate (and then evaporate), additives to enhance properties such as gloss, and drying agents that help the pigment dry quickly after being applied to the substrate. 👉 What makes ink more or less eco-friendly? There are a lot of factors - Is the carrier solvent-based? Does the carrier emit VOCs when drying? Does the printing process require high energy use? What is the pigment derived from? How does the ink impact the quality of its substrate when recycled or composted? No ink is perfect, but some are better than other across many of these factors. 👉 How do different inks rank in order of sustainability? As described above, ink's level of sustainability is driven by a combination of inputs, impact on air pollution during manufacturing, impact on packaging end of life, and more. Taken together, our internal ranking is as follows - Most eco: Algae Ink™; Very eco: Inks with water or soy-based carrier; Somewhat eco: UV curable, toner; Low eco: Inks with solvent-based carrier. Your printing ink will largely be dictated by your printing method, which is driven by your substrate, quantities and desired aesthetic. We can help you choose the most eco-friendly ink possible for your printing method. 👉 How does ink impact packaging end of life? Recyclable packaging can typically be printed with any type of ink and still be recyclable - but your ink choice can improve or degrade material quality in its next life. Algae Ink™ and soy or water-based inks are friendliest to the repulping process; toner, UV and latex inks can degrade quality. Ink is a bigger concern in composting, so making compatible ink choices are particularly critical when designing your packaging for the compost. Shout out to Tayler Insuaste Sarah Quirk and McKenleigh Spitler for bringing this resource to life! #sustainablepackaging #packagingdesign

What is Digital Textile Printing? Digital textile printing is like printing a picture from your computer, but it's on fabric instead of paper. Unlike traditional methods like screen printing, where stencils are created for each design, digital printing allows you to print designs directly onto materials using digital files. Who Uses Digital Textile Printing? 1. Fashion and Apparel: Many custom t-shirts, dresses, and bold streetwear designs use digital textile printing. Fast fashion brands, in particular, rely on it for quick turnaround times. 2. Home Décor: Think of curtains, cushions, or bed linens. Companies can now create vivid, unique patterns not limited to mass production. Designers can play with colors and complex designs on-demand, making home décor more personalized and eco-friendly. 3. Sportswear: Sports apparel, often made from synthetic fabrics, requires vibrant and durable prints. Digital printing excels here, providing detailed designs on materials like polyester that are traditionally hard to print on. 4. Soft Signage: Used for retail displays, banners, and flags, soft signage relies on digital textile printing for high-quality, large-scale prints. This method is faster and more affordable, especially for visually striking displays. Why Is Digital Textile Printing Beneficial? 1. Customization: With traditional printing, bulk orders were needed to keep costs down. Digital textile printing, however, allows customization at a much smaller scale—even just one item. This ease of customization is why brands are leaning into digital printing to meet customer demand for personalized products. 2. Eco-Friendly: Traditional printing methods can be wasteful, using large amounts of water, chemicals, and leftover dyes. Digital textile printing is more precise, reducing water and ink usage and minimizing waste, which contributes to its eco-friendly appeal. 3. High-Resolution Designs: Intricate patterns, gradients, and photo-realistic images are easily achieved with digital textile printing. This high-resolution capability is something that traditional methods struggle to replicate. Future Trends 1. Sustainability: It is expected to become even more popular due to its eco-friendliness. Advances in biodegradable and water-based inks could make the process even greener. 2. Smart Textiles: The future might see digital printing being used to print not just designs but also functionality onto fabrics. Think conductive inks or materials that change color with temperature, opening up exciting possibilities for wearable tech, home décor, and healthcare. 3. Expanding Industries: Beyond fashion and home décor, digital printing is likely to grow in industries like automotive (custom car interiors), healthcare (custom hospital fabrics), and architecture (textile-based installations). #DigitalTextilePrinting #InnovativeTextiles #SustainableFashion #TextileTechnology #BusinessOpportunity

A newspaper you can plant? It’s real-and it’s brilliant! 🌱 Back in 2016, The Mainichi Shimbun-one of Japan’s biggest daily newspapers-published a special “Green Newspaper” edition printed entirely on biodegradable, plant-embedded seed paper using plant-based inks. After reading, the instructions encouraged people to tear the paper into small bits, plant them in soil, water daily-and watch herbs and pollinator-friendly flowers bloom within weeks. This impactful innovation was developed collaboratively by Dentsu Inc. alongside The Mainichi, guided by their motto: “The Mainichi doesn’t take action only through information, but also by solving global issues.” 🌿 Why it mattered: 👉 Printed in 100% biodegradable paper embedded with seeds like poppies, daisies, herbs 👉 Made with recycled materials and vegetable-based inks 👉 Encouraged schools across Japan to use it as a hands-on educational tool about recycling 👉 Circulated to over 4 million readers and generated around ¥80 million (~USD 700K) revenue "Printed for Greenery Day on May 4, 2016… embedded with seeds that would grow into flowers to attract butterflies and other pollinators-or herbs to eat." Some users shared concerns: “Most of the seeds are crushed during printing… it’s probably just a marketing gimmick.” But overall, the initiative sparked widespread admiration and conversation globally-showing how a single printed page could inspire new thinking about environmental design. 🚀 How this story works for India: ✨Readable innovation: What if reputed Indian dailies printed periodic seed-paper editions? ✨Educational value: Schools could distribute them to teach recycling and sustainability hands-on. ✨Branding impact: A powerful narrative linking media, eco-awareness, and tangible action. #GreenInnovation #EcoFriendly #SustainableLiving #SeedPaper #MainichiShimbun #CircularEconomy #PlantableNewspaper #ClimateAction #india LinkedIn The Mainichi Newspapers