Digital Printing and Sustainability

BEYOND THE SILK ROAD Book #03

THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN THE DIGITAL PRINTING ERA

Digital printing and sustainability

A PROJECT BY

000-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-COVER.indd 1 15/11/17 11:02 BEYOND THE SILK ROAD BOOK #03

THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN THE DIGITAL PRINTING ERA Digital printing and sustainability

November 2017 © Epson Italia – For.Tex – F.lli Robustelli

All the content in this publication is the shared property of Epson Italia SpA, For.Tex Srl and F.lli Robustelli and is protected by the laws on the subject of intellectual and/or industrial property. The information, the data, the charts and the graphics in the document may be used only subject to written authorisation from Epson Italia, For.Tex and F.lli Robustelli, and the source must be clearly quoted.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Gianluca Brenna, Luigi Corti, Paolo Crespi, Michele Delle Fave, Dario Garnero, Michela Garnero, Angelo Marelli, Riccardo Robustelli, Valerio Robustelli, Pietro Roncoroni, Ugo Zaroli

ENDORSMENT FESPA Italia Associazione

Conception: Textile Solution Center Advisory Board Editorial project and release: Aurora Magni e Marco Ricchetti – Blumine srl Graphic design and layout: Studio Grafico Dante Cavallaro Translation: Elisabetta Gnecchi Ruscone

The book “Digital printing and sustainability” is available on www.textilesolutioncenter.com

000-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-COVER.indd 2 15/11/17 11:02 FOREWORD

t is with true pleasure that I introduce the Third issue of the series ‘Beyond the silk I road’, which is devoted to a subject of great contemporary interest: the sustainability of digital printing. Everyone concurs in recognising inkjet printing’s great potential in speeding up and per- sonalising printing in the development of samples as well as providing answers to productions that are increasingly determined by personal taste, as required by the market. But how much does this technology contribute to reducing the environmental impact of textile productions?

The water and energy savings, the reduced wastage, the reduction of contaminants in the refuse make digital printing an important resource in developing a productive and economic system that is more attentive to the environment. The issue ‘Digital printing and sustainability’ means to analyse these aspects in depth, starting from an analysis of the economic and cultural setting in which this technology is integrated, from its connections with the fashion system and with the dynamics of a market in constant evolution.

The technological aspects of the printing processes are therefore analysed in function of the effects of technology on the environment and the trends of future developments are thus delineated. The results of this study are encouraging but certainly not conclusive. The culture of sustainability, intended as the ability of satisfying needs without prejudging current and future environmental equilibrium and as a constant improvement of the environmental performances of human activities, requires continuous commitment and investments in technical and scientific research.

In is in this spirit that in 2014 we created the Textile Solution Center and started the research and dissemination activities promoted by the Center. We therefore hope that this new publication will contribute to stimulate further efforts towards innovation in the textile industry and to diffuse the value of its culture. Pietro Roncoroni Chairman of the Advisory Board Textile Solution Center

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 3

003-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-Roncoroni.indd 3 15/11/17 09:42 THE COLLECTION

The books of the collection “Beyond the Silk Road. The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era”

market scenario: TRENDS AND KEY PLAYERS

drying after digital printing

digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY

digi tal printing systems for the textile industry

Evalutation CRITERIA FOR textile printing quality

pre-treatment in Digital printing

fabric washing procedures after the textile printing

The already issued books of the collection can be downloaded from the Textile Solution Center website: www.textilesolutioncenter.it

4 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

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The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

Digital printing and sustainability

Introduction ...... 7

chapter 1 THE FASHION BUSINESS AND THE SUSTAINABILITY REVOLUTION

1.1 – A paradigm shift, the new scenario for the fashion business ...... 9

1.2 – Art, fashion and digital printing – Interview with Laura Strambi e Franco Gervasio ...... 13

chapter 2 DIGITAL PRINTING: ECO-FRIENDLY TECHNOLOGY

2.1 – The “scenario” ...... 15

chapter 3 FUTURE TRENDS in DIGITAL PRINTiNG

3.1 – Efficiency, chemical safety, innovation ...... 24

chapter 4 KEY PLAYERS’ OPINIONS

4.1 – The perimeter of innovation ...... 27

chapter 5 CHEMISTRY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN TEXTILE PRINTING

5.1 – Evolution of the vision of chemical sustainability in textile processes ...... 33

chapter 6 EPSON: THE CHOICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

6.1 – A primary objective ...... 40

Glossary...... 42

TSC Advisory Board ...... 49

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 5

005-006-TSC_Quaderno_003-EN-summary+bianca.indd 5 15/11/17 11:04 6 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

005-006-TSC_Quaderno_003-EN-summary+bianca.indd 6 15/11/17 11:04 introduction

nkjet printing is the future of textile printing. In For these reasons: I fashion, a field that is particularly sensitive to a textile printed using inkjet printers contributes versatility, speed and customisation, an increasing to reducing the environmental cost of the finished share of printed textiles is produced using inkjet product, thus increasing its level of sustainability. technology. Born to reduce the time and costs necessary for producing textile samples, twenty The economic, organisational and ecologic ad- years later digital printing has undeniably taken vantages of inkjet printing are recognised in first on an invaluable role not only in the design, but instance by the printing companies, but also fash- also in the production of printed textiles. ion brands show interest for this technology, as it The reasons for its successes are several: has represented a kind of revolution in the way of 1. inkjet printing enhances the creativity of de- designing and producing fashion articles as well signers and printers allowing the reproduc- as products for the home, for sports, protection tion of complex and photographic designs, and furniture. It is not surprising that the trend it provides concrete answers to the need of inkjet printing machines’ diffusion is rapid- for product personalisation and uniqueness, ly expanding and that the digital machines have while at the same time guaranteeing their in- flanked,and in many cases substituted, traditional dustrial reproducibility and a high qualitative equipment. level; 2. it is economically advantageous especially In the third issue of the series ‘Beyond the silk for contained quantities where reduction of road” we describe inkjet printing as a produc- wastage and material are apparent; tive system that is particularly suited to satis- 3. it reduces design and production time; fying the need for creativity and sustainability. 4. the printer’s size is contained and requires lit- We will do so by tackling the issue from the tle space; point of view of the demand (the market and 5. compared to conventional printing inkjet print- brand strategies) and of the offer (available ing has several environmental advantages: technology and research trends) and by contex- • water and energy consumption are much tualising the role of chemical research. less than in traditional machinery, Different methodologies have been combined • working with smaller volumes permits in this work: from analysis of the literature on managing warehouses and logistics accord- the subject to interviews with opinion leaders. ing to a logic of organisational efficiency; The main terms recurring in the debate within • the greater speed in the execution of the the textile industry are commented in a glossary digital process ensures greater guarantees of easy consultation. for the design’s intellectual property; • inkjet printing requires smaller quantities Good Reading! of dyes and chemicals.

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 7

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The fashion business 1. and the sustainability revolution

1.1 A paradigm shift, the new scenario for the fashion business

ashion is moving. It is not a new look, a new Fstore format or a new date for fashion shows. It is a new vision: the best creative spirits design innovative collections manufactured using sustainable materials. Even more important, big mainstream brands, from luxury to fast-fashion, are part of the movement. Big brands’ role in the acceleration of the sustainability revolution de- pends on the size of value flows they command that can have large positive or negative impacts on the environment, as well as on the big brands’ ability to interact with the social imaginary and, ultimately, with individual purchase decisions. publict a ion of sustainability reports-trend

According to a sustainability-lab.net estimate, 100 considering only eight of the most consolidated The numbers of big fashion Brands campaigns and initiatives that focused on fashion 80 that publish sustainability reports Europe +83% sustainability, the number of brands and companies is growing fast. Figures by Country, 60 growth rate 2000-2014 subscribing them or being committed are over 380 World +50% and include many of the biggest companies in the 40 Japan +40% business, with an estimated global turnover worth USA +26% more than 250 billion Euros, that is approximately 20 15% of the global fashion market. 0 The new big brands policies towards sustainabil- 2010 2014 ity are mirrored by the mainstream press: from Source: sustainability-lab.net calculation on Corporate Register.com data newspapers such as the British The Guardian

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 9

009-012-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_1-1.indd 9 15/11/17 10:04 fashion brands that publish sustainability reports

NIKE

NORDSTROM HSM PVH POU CHEN IT:HILFIGER GROUP LBRANDS CALVIN (VICTORIA’S KLEIN SECRET) HERMÉS KERING RALPH GROUP LAUREN ROSS STORES CHOW DIOR/LVMH TAI FOOK INDITEX (ZARA) CHEIL SWATCH INDUSTRIES (SAMSUNG) FV CORP. (TIMBERLAND, THE NORTH ADIDAS FOOT FACE) COACH MICHAEL KORS LOCKER GAP HOLDING

FAST BELLE RETAIL HANES INT.NAL (UNIQLO) BRANDS HOLDINGS TJMAXX

Sales value (billions Publication of sustainability report or CSR euros) 5 10 20 40 None information of sustainability

Among the 25 biggest fashion companies in sales value, 21 of them publish sustainability reports

Source: sustainability lab.net elaboration on companies’ data

10 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

009-012-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_1-1.indd 10 15/11/17 10:04 that in March 2015 entitled an article “Waste is according to whom “the story behind design so last season”, to the writings of opinion makers must be as beautiful as design”, has found its po- as in the “Sustainability today’s keyword” title of sition in the fashion system. a post in the Vogue.it website of March 2011 by Franca Sozzani, at that time director of Vogue Ita- The materials flow in the lia. When, in September 2017, the Milano Fashion fashion industry and the impact on the environment week, was opened by the Green Carpet Fashion Award, organized by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the “green carpet” was walked by Fashion requires many raw materials: fibres, water, movies stars and celebrities from the international energy, dyes, auxiliaries and additives. Pro-capita world consumption of textile fibres has fashion business community such as: Anna Win- increased from around 8 kilograms in the year tour of Vogue USA, Giorgio Armani, the CEOs 2000 to about 13 in 2015 (+68%), an increase of Gucci and Valentino, top model such as Naomi greater than that of the previous 40 years – in fact Campbell, Bianca Balti and Gisele Bundchen. the 1960 figure was about 5 kilograms. The sustainability revolution in the fashion busi- In Europe alone, the volume of material generated ness has been defined as a “paradigm shift” that each year by the fashion market amounts to has progressed very rapidly in recent years, with around 13 million tonnes. The impact of textile manufacturing on the a speed and pervasiveness that surprised the environment is considerable also for the resulting fashion community itself. Despite the difficul- production waste and post-consumption refuse. ties of a system that has not yet had all the nec- It is estimated that, once they have reached end essary skills, the design of beautiful, creative, of life, only 1/5 of textile materials are destined to and high-quality collections by major as well as recycling, the rest is amassed in rubbish dumps small and innovative brands goes hand in hand and is destined to the production of energy. with the search of solutions that reduce the im- Source: M. Ricchetti (ed.) Neo-materials in Circular pact on the environment, are socially acceptable Economy: Fashion, Edizioni Ambiente, 2017 and respect the well-being of workers and communities in the places where fashion goods are Fashion and the need for speed manufactured. Organizational models of busi- nesses are influenced, supply chains meet new The revolution of seasonal calendars is another requirements, and interaction with stakeholders, movement that is shaking the business of fash- including environmentalist NGOs, is now much ion. The new business model of fast fashion more important than before. began the change at the turn of the new century The moment has come. A frontier in the fashion and broke the traditional patterns: monthly or industry has already been crossed and it is hard even bi-monthly streams of new products in- to go back once the route has been taken. Some stead of 2 or 4 seasonal collections; 20 days/1 time ago, Rossella Ravagli, Head of Corporate month from the design of the collections to Sustainability and Responsibility of Gucci, in stores instead of traditional 24 months, orders her remarks at Copenhagen Fashion Summit, became more frequent but smaller in size, com- reiterated that sustainability is a “one-way jour- pared to traditional orders covering all sales of ney”, requiring investments and reorganization the season. Today the boundaries between fast of the supply chain that are not easy to imple- fashion and the fashion of the premium brands ment, but which, once made, are difficult to give have become increasingly blurred. up. The principle maintained by Bruno Pieters, A further disruption hit the fashion business in

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 11

009-012-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_1-1.indd 11 15/11/17 10:04 2016, when a handful of big international luxury and tourism, further contributes to undermine brands have embraced the model of see-now- sales calendars and business models. buy-now: the new collections will be available Digital technologies, including inkjet printing, in the stores just 24-hour after the presentation in applied to manufacturing systems are the only the catwalks, instead of 6 months later that was solution that allows the industry to adjust to the standard in the traditional model. these changes, allowing for speed and small size Finally, the extraordinary growth of e-commerce, orders, efficient management, without sacrific- fashion is the fastest growing sector after travel ing creativity and quality.

fashion calendars become faster

TRADITIONAL FASHION CALENDAR

NEW COLLECTIONS FASHION WEEKS ORDERS CAMPAIGN SOURCING & MANUFACTURING DELIVERY DESIGN & TRADE FAIRS TO STORES REPLENISHMENTS

FAST-FASHION CALENDAR

FABRIC AVAIL. FABRIC AVAIL. FABRIC AVAIL. IN WAREHOUSE DELIVERY DELIVERY DESIGN DELIVERY DESIGN MANUFACTURING TO STORES DESIGN IN WAREHOUSE TO STORES IN WAREHOUSE TO STORES CHECK CHECK CHECK

SEE-NOW-BUY-NOW CALENDAR FIRST SOURCING & FASHION WEEKS ORDERS NEW MANU- DELIVERY NEW COLLECTIONS PRE-ORDERING DELIVERY REPLENISHMENTS DESIGN MANUFACTURING & TRADE FAIRS TO STORES COLLECTION FACTURING TO STORES

Source: sustainability-lab.net

12 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

009-012-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_1-1.indd 12 15/11/17 10:04 interview with laura strambi and franco gervasio

1.2 Art, fashion and digital printing

aura Strambi (LS) is a fashion designer, L she has designed for international high-end brands including Bulgari, Borbonese, Trussar- di, Herno, Beams Tokyo, Pinko, Swarovski. In 2010 she founded her brand Laura Strambi YOJ, which combines luxury, fashion and respect for the environment. Franco Gervasio (FG) is an artist who in a long career has integrated theater and visual arts: from painting, photography to the latest Lightlands, sculptures of colored glass paste tubes that become luminescent neon.

Laura and Franco have collaborated in several creative fashion projects; the first transposition of Franco’s work on a fabric of Laura collections is in 2007.

What are the benefits of digital printing for an artist and a designer who collabo- rate in creating fashion collections?

FG. Cutting the intermediate steps between the creative stage and industrial production, that are required by traditional print, is a revolution: shorter times, lower costs, less complexity of the process and even less divergence between the printing. The availability of digital technologies creative idea and the outcome, result in less er- makes this type of project simpler and faster, rors and waste. It can be said that digital printing thus bringing them to a wider range of creators. frees the creative from the limitations that tradi- It is what, in general, is happening in the re- tional printing imposes. lationship between designer and manufacturing companies with the 3d print. For contemporary LS. When Franco began to translate his works fashion, speed in transposing ideas into prod- into inspirations for my collections, it was not ucts is a prerequisite. The other great benefit of an easy job, despite our experience in printing digital printing for us is that this technology re- sophisticated products. The difficulties arose spects our sustainability choices, which lead us from the sequence of necessary steps, from to prefer techniques with less impact, less water scanning the painting, to screen printing, to use, cleaner inks.

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 13

013-014-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_1.2.indd 13 15/11/17 09:46 Do you think that digital printing brands; the second world, which is the largest enhances creativity compared part of the market, is dominated by the need for to traditional printing? speed, in this world digital printing is absolutely imperative, without alternatives. LS. When we worked on the creation of scarves for a big luxury brand, with sophisticated, com- Digital printing is a well-established tech- plex and high-quality drawings, the passage nology, but what future directions would through screens and plates making, even when be the most appreciated by creatives in made by artisans and artisans of great experi- your opinion? ence and competence, always acted as a kind filter that did not always respects the creator’s LS. The first direction would undoubtedly be the sign. The creative direct passage to digital print- development of inkjet printers for fabrics suita- ing allows for greater characterization of the ble for testing, samples and prototypes directly graphic sign of the creator. In the overcrowded in the designer’s atelier, before passing images landscape of images where fashion is immersed, to production, which would allow an extension it is the character of the graphic sign that makes of creative possibilities and even more speed; all the difference, in this digital printing offers a the second is the development of new inks for great advantage. new effects, such as transparencies, and the extension of the range of inks to to natural dyes or FG. The transition to digital can jeopardize all pigments. the extraordinary competences that have grown around the traditional printing, a world that is FG. Having a printer in the atelier to evaluate now closer to art than to industry. On the other new creative effects in a short time and at a low hand, in digital printing, the problem of the fu- cost would be a big step: printing a prototype on sion of the artistic skills and sensibilities with fabric reveals particulars that the prototype on the technical and software development skills paper does not allow to appreciate. I recall a case is far from being accomplished. In the contem- when Laura and me had designed a foulard for porary fashion market two worlds coexist, with a big brand and after the client’s sample approval the first, a niche, moving in a dimension close on paper the scarf was printed with the tradi- to that of art, in this field traditional and digital tional techniques, revealing on the fabric some printing still compete, among the advantages effects the customer had not perceived, this led of digital, I would like to emphasize, there is to waste and above all, the need to bring cor- the best environmental performance, which has rections throughout the screen printing process become fundamental to the identity of luxury before reprinting.

14 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

013-014-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_1.2.indd 14 15/11/17 09:46 Digital printing: 2. eco-friendly technology

2.1 The “scenario”

nkjet printing is not merely a technology. It is I an approach to design and production that can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of a fashion or design product. Born in response to the need to speed up creative processes in fashion products, it rapidly became a production model characterised by flexibility, versatility and favourable time-to-market index. Such characteristics are highly appreciated by companies working for luxury brands, but have also met an expansion in companies operating in the fast-fashion sector. After all it was fast-fashion that accelerated the consumption time for textile clothing and thus incentivised those production models focussed on the capacity of producing small batches in a short time. It is thanks to this organisation model that, beginning in the 1990s, the production and distribution of fashion articles has been revolution- ised. Consumers are offered the possibility of choosing between practically unlimited product options, and often at very low prices, thanks to The effects on purchasing behaviour soon also the brands’ import policies. Renewal of shelf took on environmental consequences: shopping and shop window options becomes very rapid, is often an impulsive act, the life cycle of cloth- even fortnightly, a very different rhythm from ing items is shorter, and therefore waste and the seasonal turnover to which consumers of consumption of resources necessary for textile previous decades were accustomed. production have increased.

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 15

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 15 15/11/17 11:06 In more recent times the fast-paced consumption the digital with the physical, thus revolutionis- mode stimulated by fast-fashion has been fur- ing the very function of stores and online plat- ther reinforced by the success of e-commerce, forms. This is accompanied by the development which allows the consumer to evaluate directly of applications that interact with customers by from the comfort of his or her home and infinity exploiting the technologies of Artificial Intelli- of purchase options comparing models and pric- gence and Augmented Reality. es. In Italy alone, for example, in 2016 online The resulting carousel of impulsive purchasing purchasing of clothing items has increased by and rapid obsolescence of objects thus seems to 30% from 2015, a growth which is double that be unstoppable. of e-commerce as a whole.1 Although this trend is evident in the clothing Besides facilitating shopping, Internet is intro- market, fashion is not the only involved sec- ducing a true revolution also in purchasing be- tor: also home apparel, furniture and flooring, haviours. sportswear and technical textiles are implicated. Indeed, on-line commerce has direct repercus- Digital printing has entered into every context in sions on the distribution system, reducing the which the drawing/design is a qualifying factor role of intermediaries between fashion brand for the product. It is estimated that out of the to- and consumers that was traditionally held by the tal volume of printed textiles produced in 2015, points of sale. Thanks to Internet fashion brands 42% was destined to clothing, 12 % to furniture are now able to contact a potentially unlimited and articles for the home and 46% to other uses public, address purchase proposals directly to (automotive, advertising tarpaulin banners, pro- targets selected through the sophisticated obser- tective devices etc).2 vation channels provided by social applications, and gather vital information for designing their The effects of these new sceneries are not only collections through visits to websites and di- social and cultural, they also have an impact on rect interaction with consumers. All this is also the production chain. made possible by the new role that, thanks to Garment makers and producers of textiles and new global players such as Amazon, Farfetch, accessories are urged by brands to reduce times Yoox-Net-a-Porter and many others, logistics for the production and delivery of goods, while has taken on in concentrating, organising and orders involve batches of small and micro di- conveying the products to consumers, and even mensions. On the other hand, the required varia- between consumers themselves tions in style, shape and colours have increased. E-commerce, however, is merely an intermediate Complex patterns and photographic images are passage: even today the most advanced brands now normally used on clothing, a phenomenon and retailers propose models for the integration that directly involves the textile finishing firms. of traditional retail channels and e-commerce – Acting upon colours, designs and material effects the so-called Omnichannel model. The develop- (corrosions, tears, resin coatings...), that is on ment of digital technology in fact lays the bases those elements that more than any other differen- for multi-channelling with a deep integration of tiate fashion items, dyers and printers are obliged

(1) Source: Osservatori B2c politecnico di Milano http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/moda/2016-07-06/l-e-commerce-moda-cresce-35percento-doppio-media-italiana-trainato-innovazione-of- ferta-e-prezzi-boom-luxury-all-estero-160444.shtml?uuid=ADHmHwo (2) WTIN Analytics (http://www.wtin.com/channel/digital-textiles/)

16 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 16 15/11/17 11:06 to seek technological and organisational solutions values, such as profit, functionality, aesthetics, that enable them to respond to the market’s re- ergonomics, image and general quality.”3 quests. Versatility and constant experimentation Those firms that attribute value to sustainability are difficultto achieve in plants that are calibrated select the raw materials which have less impact for high turn-out of batches of standard products. on the environment, analyse their manufactur- And this is where inkjet printing enters into play. ing processes processing to find weak points in Thanks to digital technologies the role of the terms of emissions, consumption and waste, and fabric printer becomes less that of a maker and in order to find solutions to reduce them. In other more that of design partner. He can reproduce words, ecodesign proposes a new interpretation complex personalised designs within a lean pro- by turning a ‘defensive’ practice – preventing duction logic (what is needed when it is needed), problems and therefore environmental costs – thus reducing consumption, stocks and energy. into a competitive strategy. The times are shorter, the logistics optimised. This theme is particularly relevant to the textile All of this increases competitiveness. manufacturers who deal with customers and market segments in which awareness of environmental, social and animal-rights issues has Ecodesign and digital printers grown greatly in recent years. Design, intended as an activity that is able to an- Thanks to such new ways of thinking, the idea ticipate the trends in style and features through that sustainable clothing is of low aesthetic qual- the designing of consumption goods, has recent- ity and that on the contrary fashion and luxury ly integrated ecodesign. ‘inevitably’ require a high level of impact on the Ecodesign does not limit itself to inventing environment is totally surpassed. Sustainable products according to their functionality and fashion, until the last decade confined to the eth- aesthetics, but designs them starting from the ical craft sector and to some niche production of environment and nature. From this perspective, a few brands, now has become the challenge for sustainability is not a limit to creativity, but a great brands in fashion and global luxury, as well stimulus to thinking outside the box by bring- as for the smaller trendier brands. ing new values to the production processes. Ac- cording to a definition provided already 20 years How does inkjet printing become ago by the Rathenau Institute “the environment an ally of ecodesign? participates in the definition of design, becoming a factor in the direction of product develop- Inkjet printing is at once an excellent instrument ment. In this process, the environment takes on for enhancing creativity, an accelerator of ide- the same status as the most traditional industrial as and projects and an ecologically sustainable

The presence of digital printers in the world increases 2015 2019 Fabric printed with inkjet machines in the world 1.2 billion sq.m. + 17% Percentage of inkjet printers over the total machinery 3.6% 6%

Source: WTIN Analytics

(3) Ecodesign Manual, Rathenau Institute, Delft University of Technology , 1997

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 17

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 17 17/11/17 10:56 technology that reduces the times and environ- down to a few hours. Also the times for resetting mental costs of those tests and simulations that the machine to change the fabric or the design is any creative must perform before defining a pro- much shorter. The speed of the printing process posal that is suitable for industrial processes. itself can reach high levels of productivity. The materials used (fabric, dyes, auxiliaries) are quantitatively inferior compared to those used The second advantage is the space saved. by traditional methods for printing samples and A machine using printing plates can be up to 40 swatches, while efficiency, speed and versatili- meters in length, while a digital printer takes up ty are increased. All this serves to reduce scraps an average of 40/50 sq. m.; it can be installed in and wastes. a much smaller space and since the plant’s layout Furthermore, since this is a digital technology, determines its energetic costs, to obtain the best re- procedures such as filing notes, sketches and sam- sult while reducing the areas used makes the entire ples are simplified; the handling of materials and production more ecologically and economically management of spaces are optimised since large sustainable. Even cleansing of the printer’s belt warehouses are no longer necessary. This too has in a digital machine (today about 4 meters in size) positive effects on the environment: less packag- compared to that of a rotary or flat printer requires ing, fewer physical movements of incoming and smaller volumes of water and energy. Claims con- outgoing products, less energy employed. cerning energy saving are especially convincing: Inkjet printing has in fact anticipated the basic inkjet printers allow a saving of 40 to 75% com- principles of the digital factory (4.0) thanks to the pared to traditional printing, depending on the type connection between CAD and printing, a condition of equipment and on the design’s complexity.4 that frees the designer to concentrate more on the These characteristics make digital technology in- ideational aspects of his work. After all this tech- teresting also for start-up companies intending to nology was born specifically as a support to crea- engage with this kind of production without count- tive figures during the sample-making stage. ing on large spaces or great capital investment. In order to fully evaluate digital printing’s efficiency in the productive process it is necessary to trace back More sustainable printing to the main manufacturing stages and compare them processes with digital technology to the processes adopted by inkjet printing. The first element to stand out when looking at a digital printer is the considerable advantage giv- Fabric preparation en by the possibility of producing what is needed in the necessary quantities and with the required Whatever technology is adopted, digital or con- variables, without wastes or batches lying in ventional, this preliminary phase is important to warehouses as they wait for a buyer. ensure a good outcome of the printing process, Savings in terms of printing time is certainly a that is to ensure a perfect fixing of colour on the significant variable. If the process of preparing fibres and an optimal uniformity to the design. printing cylinders and plates may take up to 2 Depending on the type of fabric, several pre- weeks, the time necessary for inkjet printing is cut paratory procedures may be performed, such as

(4) Source: Water and electricity consumptions in textile printing. A comparison between conventional and ink-jet technologies. The final results. Como Textile Cluster Monitor LIUC University, Italy, 2008.

18 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 18 15/11/17 11:06 singeing, size-breaking, mercerization, bleach- Comparison with traditional ing, dimensional stability or thermosetting. printing Most important is especially the choice of chem- Traditional printing involves a series of pre- ical substances used to favour the processes of paratory phases that vary according to the type dye transferral and fixing on the fibre. In the case of process and of the machinery used: from the of traditional printing these are included in the making of the tumbler for serigraphy in the case printing paste, but this procedure is not possible of flat-bed printing, to the engraving of- cylin in digital printing as the fixing agents might be ders or the photo engraving of plates for cylin- incompatible with the dyes and with the metallic der printing. Preparing the printers, according to structure of the printheads. Thickeners and auxil- the support used, may require the use of critical iaries are therefore applied to textiles by impreg- chemical substances such as chromic acid and nation and, as occurs in traditional printing, these nitric acid or, in the case of the engraving of cyl- must be removed at the end of the process. This inders, of galvanic treatments. preparation generally involves constant quantities A further important preparatory phase is the of urea according to the fabric’s characteristics, preparation of the printing paste, made up of the while in traditional printing the amount of urea dye and the auxiliaries which allow it to be fixed varies according to the area covered by the design onto the fabric and ensure a regular reproduc- as well as with the textile’s characteristics. tion of the pattern. This procedure is performed in the colour kitchens, environments equipped The ‘urea’ question: for the dosage, according to the dye recipe, of as yet an open problem the right quantities of inks, chemical products and thickeners necessary for printing. At the end Urea is a chemical substance used to favour fixing dyes (reactive but also acid, not in the of each process the containers and instruments case of dispersed inks) onto the fibres. In the phase used must be washed before reusing. of steam fixing of the inks, urea allows the absorption In inkjet printing these phases have become of moistness, thus contributing to fixing the colour unnecessary as the design to be printed is elab- to the fabric. In traditional printing urea is mixed orated by the computer with a software which into the printing paste while in digital printing it is converts it into electronic impulses that are sent used in the preparation of the fabric, often in greater quantities than actually required for the actual design to the printheads. The precise distribution of to be printed. At the end of the printing process urea ink through extremely small colouring dots al- may be present in the water used for washing the lows for the delineation of the printed area thus product, with such levels of nitrogen contamination avoiding dye dispersion and waste, and the con- as to require purification processes. sequent removal operations. The use of urea in printing processes (digital and Thanks to piezoelectric printheads the feeding traditional) represents an ecological problem. flow if ink is managed with greater precision Although alternative solutions are being tested (for example atmospheric plasma treatments) its and the droplets’ size, whose diameter is smaller replacement with less polluting substances seems than that of a hair, allows the production of high still far to come. Printing companies are therefore quality images without waste. Most of the inkjet recommended to use only the strictly necessary systems draw their ink from containers that must quantity. Research is also been conducted on systems be washed before reusing or disposal, while sys- for reducing pollutants in refuse through the use of tems such as Monna Lisa’s employ ready-to-use biomasses and techniques for separating urea and ink cartridges that are removed when empty and retrieve it for use in subsequent production processes. disposed of as they are. In some plants the heat-

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 19

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 19 15/11/17 11:06 ing of the printheads during the emission of ink onto the fibres thanks to the joint action of chem- may require chilling systems to reduce the tem- ical thickeners and auxiliaries, activated by temperature. perature and steam. At the end of the printing process the fabric must Finally, washing serves to remove the excess be dried, vaporised and washed. chemical compounds and dyes in order to op- The second issue of the series ‘Beyond the silk timise the product’s performance. The tempera- road’ was devoted to technologies for drying tures used in the different stages of the washing textiles, emphasising the importance of this pas- process vary according to the fibrous nature of sage in determining the correct performance of the fabric and of the colouring agents used. Re- the whole process. As the volume of treated tex- fuse water – in particular those used in the first tiles and the speed of inkjet printing increased, soaks- contain organic compounds, nitrogen and one reads, also the new digital technologies have dyes. There are no significant differences in this had to be equipped with more advanced drying phase of post-printing between traditional and systems, involving hot air systems (from 50 inkjet processes. to 150 degrees according to the textile’s fibre composition) and in some cases providing both In the table below we compare the convention- solutions, thus consenting the operator to adopt al techniques (flat-bed and cylinder) to digital the most suitable type depending on the type of printing from the point of view of the factors fabric to be printed. that determine their respective environmental Steaming serves the function of fixing the dyes performances.

process traditional printing digital printing Fabric preparation These processes (boiling-off, bleaching, mercerization, etc.) vary according to the type of fabric and to the design, but are present in both kinds of printing Pre-treatment Not performed Necessary of fabric Preparation of printing Selection and blending of Pigments, The ink is contained in ready-to-use paste Thickeners, Solvents, Defoamers, cartridges Reagents, Sequestrants, Acids, Alkalis. Action performed in the colour kitchen and involving energy and water consumption and greater consumption of chemical substances for testing and surplus Preparation of printing Action performed with variable Not performed process materials and processes depending on the technologies employed

Printing process Laying of the paste containing Droplets of ink are generated and the colorants deposited on the fabric through printheads Drying, steaming, washing These processes vary according to the type of textile and to the design but of printed fabric they are present in both kinds of printing

20 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 20 15/11/17 11:06 In synthesis we may conclude that by using dig- Traditional and digital printing ital printing technology: compared • preparation of the printing machines is no longer necessary thanks to the interaction be- Extremely positive results on the environmental tween computer and printer5, with the con- impact of Inkjet as compared to traditional printing sequent reduction of the process’ economic ate also cited in a recent study by Provost Ink Jet and environmental costs; Consulting Ltd (Heimtextil 2016). • as the printing paste no longer needs to be • Emissions in water – 60% prepared, the actions performed in the colour • Water consumption – 69% kitchen are avoided, as are the operations of • Energy saving, up to 80% washing the containers and equipment used • Reduction of the Carbon Footprint 40% in making and distribution of colour as the ink is already prepared in cartridges, conse- quently water consumption is also avoided; quantified in 196 litres/750m2 vs. the 257 litres • by producing only the requested lots the waste used in screen printing. of materials is reduced; The researchers have underlined that such re- • colourants, thickeners and auxiliaries are sult is aided by the optimisation of the process limited to the actual printed area, thus avoid- and by the foregoing of actions resulting in high ing waste and reducing the emission of water consumption, such as washing the screens chemical substances in the environment. and cylinders as well as of the drums used in the colour kitchen, and therefore of the consequent Thanks to the methodology of Life Cycle Assess- emission of pollutants in the waste water. ment it is possible to measure the environmental impact of a process by using synthetic values that 6 An important synergy between give its ‘weight’ in terms of the produced CO2eq. chemistry and Mechatronics This is what researchers of the Finnish VTT7 centre did; they compared in terms of LCA the pro- Digital printing owes its efficacy to the perfect duction of a batch of 750m of cotton printed in synchrony between the chemical component of 5 colours using conventional and inkjet printing. inks (based on colorants – reagents, acids, dis- The results of the study demonstrate that the use persed – or pigments) and the system of emission of digital machines allows a reduction of CO2 eq (printheads) that must deposit the exact quantity from 648 kg to 390 kg, with a saving of 258 kg. of dye on the textile at the fastest speed possible. Also the saving of water is an important aspect: In other words, chemistry and electronics work the Water Availability Footprint of the considered together to exploit as best as possible the laws of sample, when printed with inkjet technology, is physics. The inks vary according to the fibres:

(5) From this point of view we might say that digital printing has anticipated that which in the language of digital technology is called the internet of things, which relies on the exchange of information between machines without human intervention. (6) Carbon Dioxide is used as a parameter to evaluate a number of polluting gasses that may be reconduced to the lifecycle of the product under consideration. (7) The research study was conducted in 2014 by Marjukka Kujanpää, Minna Nors & Elina Saarivuori VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland http://www.vtt.fi/inf/julkaisut/muut/2014/VTT-CR-04462-14.pdf.

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015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 21 15/11/17 11:06 acids for silk, woollen, polyamide; regents for Inks and celluloid fibres; dispersed for textiles in- poly pigments ester, while pigments may be used on all types

of material. Like all chemical compounds used Today pigments represent over half of the in textile processes, also the colorants and pig- colorants used in traditional printing, especially for ments destined to inkjet printing must comply the low/medium quality segment of production. with the current legislation and rules like the At the base of this success are also some technical European Reach, and are subject to specific cer- advantages: steaming and washing are not tifications and protocols. necessary at the end of the process, thus saving Inks are made up of colouring solutions blended water and energy. In inkjet printing the use of pigment inks is, with moistening agents (Glycol or Glycerine), to date, much less common. The reason is the solvents to ensure its solubility, auxiliaries that high cost. The cost limitations in the adoption of guarantee fluidity and a correct passage through pigments in inkjet printing are bound to disappear, the print head. In fact each drop of colouring however: this technology’s diffusion will reduce substance must have the correct consistency, its operational costs and, above all, starting new it must not break up into satellite droplets that production plants by investing on inkjet printing with pigments does not require the purchase would ruin the quality of the printed product, it of machinery for steaming and washing, thus must penetrate correctly in the fibres. The chem- reducing the costs compared to new dye-based ical and physical behaviour of the ink during the plants. formation of the drop and its passage through the printer nozzles is the object of research by chemical and mechatronic industry as they aim to as- for traditional printing, with the advantage sure printers with finished textiles of impeccable of limiting consumption but also emissions quality. Another theme for research concerns the in water and in the atmosphere. The compo- constant cooling conditions in which printheads sition of the chemical compounds for pro- function. The kinds that are able to work without cessing is subject to current laws and to the overheating make outside chilling interventions protocols devised by the various certification superfluous, thus saving time and energy. systems, as well as to the specific Manufac- turing Restricted Substances List (MSRL) developed by customers. An integrated approach The distribution of inks on the fabric occurs to sustainability in a rigidly predetermined way depending of Inkjet printing machines, thanks to their ver- the criteria of drop formation, thus avoiding satility, have placed printing at the heart of the waste. An area for improvement, instead, is fashion dynamics, and have shown themselves represented by the processes of fabric prepa- to be ecofriendly due to their ability to make the ration and by the use of urea, a theme that production more efficient and to reduce wastes – because of the pollution effects on waste and consumption. water – is the focus of attention for the pro- As we have seen, several factors concur to defin- ducers of chemicals and for those in charge ing it as a sustainable process: of water purification; • the chemical products for inkjet printing • the strong electronic component in this tech- (inks, thickeners, detergents, auxiliaries) are nology, the link between software and pro- used in smaller amounts than are required duction machines give inkjet printing pro-

22 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

015-023-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_2-1.indd 22 15/11/17 11:06 cesses the advantages of speeding up and the absence of which, perhaps, the technology optimising the resourced of digital manufac- we are speaking about here would have had less turing; effective developments. In fact inkjet printing avails itself of a practice • effects on logistics: targeted productions and of technical and scientific cooperation which is organisational flexibility reduce the environ- well consolidated in certain territorial industrial mental and economic weight of storage, the contexts, in our case in the Como district, spe- processes of internal handling of products cialised for centuries in the production of the fin- and semi-finished products, thus rationalis- est silk, and that in the last 20 years has turned ing the times of delivery of the finished prod- into an industrial laboratory of acknowledged uct according to the customer’s requests; international relevance. The presence on the same territory of produc- • the printer’s compactness, with its drastical- ers and users of the technologies has allowed ly reduced volumes, compared to traditional and still allows today the acceleration and en- printing and the elimination of preparatory hancement of those processes of sharing and phases for printing are at the basis of signifi- learning that are functional to the development cant energetic and water savings. of innovation, and to extend attention also to problems that go beyond the company but are That which today appears to be a lucky connec- environmentally important, as is in the case of tion between different technical approaches, re- the management of pollutants in the processes ally originated in a specific cultural context in depuration of refuse water.

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3. Future trends in digital printing

3.1 Efficiency, chimical safety, innovation

ince its entry on the market, at the beginning Sof the year 2000, digital printing has represented a true technological innovation in the textile sector, anticipating modes of connecting different technologies that today are at the core of reflections on factory 4.0. Nonetheless this technology is not at all mature. Research conducted for the production of this book has resulted in several indications concerning potential trends for further development, also from an environmental point of view. The opinion leaders involved in the project indicated three main directions as possible areas for the development of research projects and experimentation. The first is linked to the concept of productive efficiency, which in the case inkjet printing is not intended as its yield/volumes but as its production’s flexibility and time-to-market capacity, with its relative effects on waste and resource saving, and therefore has important effects also in terms of sustainability. The sec- 1. Versatility of the printing machinery ond recalls the problem of environmental safety Born for the sake of accelerating the phases of linked to the chemical substances used and to the sample making, the inkjet printer quickly as- purification processes, while the third refers to serted itself also in the case of processing small the macro-theme of new digital technologies in batches for an increasingly customised market. the broader sense, wherein inkjet printing repre- The speed with which a design can be replaced sents an effective anticipation. and the machine reset, added to the speed in sub-

24 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

024-026-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_3-1.indd 24 15/11/17 09:48 stituting the inks in the printer, all proved to be for innovation is expressed by the proliferation strongly competitive factors for digital printing of research on chemical compounds whose char- as compared to traditional printing. More recent- acteristics comply to the limit established by ly there has been a growing trend for using inkjet current legislation (for example the European printers also for the production of more quanti- Reach regulations) in order to warrant a higher tatively relevant batches of fabric, in which the degree of safety. productive yield of digital printing must meet the standards of traditional printing. An impor- Three subjects in particular emerge as important tant factor in this process is that of enhancing in the debate on the chemical component of dig- the print heads’ efficiency and – extending this ital printing: reflection to the ‘company’ system as a whole • The reduction of urea in digital printing – that of optimising storage organised along the processes, which as has been previously de- logics of logistic automation and of the trace- scribed, in inkjet printing is not integrated in ability of the batches in process (for example the printing paste but applied directly to the through Rfid or NFC systems). A greater pro- fabric in the preparatory phase, causing a pos- ductive efficiency would consent the extension sible increase of pollutants in the waste waters of printing processes to new types of products, discharged by post-printing processes. increasing the environmental advantages intro- It is important to signal that the use of urea in duced by digital technology to market sectors digital printing is prevalently linked to printing that are not as yet interested by the new tech- with reactive agents on cellulose fibres (cotton, nologies. viscose or linen) and, to a lesser degree, to using acids for printing on silks with a different 2. Reduction of the environmental impact of impact on the environment. A great many re- the chemical substances used in the print- search projects are underway for applications ing process improving this phase of the process. Devising The theme of chemical safety of textile process- substances or processes to be used as alterna- es has been for some years at the centre of attentive to urea is a driving force for innovation tion of those working in the sector, of producers that would be able to significantly increase the of colorants and auxiliaries and of analytical lab- level of sustainability of digital printing. oratories. In this context inkjet printing carries • Tightly connected to the theme of urea are with it positive environmental credentials, as the procedures for purifying waste waters has been show in the previous chapters, owing from inkjet printing, characterised by a high mainly to the system for applying inks on the concentration of nitrogen. Trials on biologi- fabric through print heads. A procedure which cal depuration systems, capable of neutralis- – by avoiding wastes and excess materials – re- ing contaminating substances and of trans- duces consumption and the presence of pollut- forming ammoniacal nitrogen into gaseous ants in the waste waters. To such reduction of nitrogen, which is harmless for the environ- chemical substances utilised is combined the ment, will become increasingly relevant. effort made by the chemical industries to bring • An increase in the use of pigments in digital their products up to the standards set by the most printing is expected. Although they represent advanced environmental protocols, be they con- a minimal share today, pigments are destined nected to certification systems or to the MRSL to being used more and more, not just be- set by their customers. Thus the observed trend cause of growing use of inkjet printing also

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 25

024-026-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_3-1.indd 25 15/11/17 09:48 for those productions that do not require high gy that allows the fusion of digital information quality, but especially for the economic and elaborated by computers with – for example environmental advantages which they entail. visual – information from the real world in real Indeed, fabrics printed with pigments do not time, through the use of relevant computer in- need to be washed and vaporised at the end terfaces. In a productive system that is highly of the process, thus resulting in saving wa- focussed on the optimisation of times and re- ter, energy and emissions. This process (the sources, the ability to monitor and intervene on absence of vaporising and washing), which materials and processes from a distance assumes in any case is the same as that applied to an important role. A particularly telling exam- traditional printing, allows to further reduce ple, is the possibility of monitoring the correct the threshold for accessing the textile print- implementation of the productive process, trans- ing sector, thus allowing a company to start ferring data and operate to reset, effect mainte- and/or extend their printing activities with- nance and repairs on the machine from remote out making significant technological invest- posts, away from the factory. The time advan- ments, thus reducing the capitals necessary tage is added to the environmental advantage for launching a start up. resulting from the consumption and emissions avoided thanks to remote interventions that do 3. Digital Printing and Augmented Reality not require the physical movement of the oper- While the system connecting the designing/man- ators. Human intervention on printing processes agement computer and the printing machines is can also be further simplified thanks to wearable well consolidated, the new digital technologies digital systems that may consent the operators may yet enhance other technological functions. to access production data and intervene in the We are referring, for example, to the adoption of processes from any post, increasing the degree systems of augmented reality in the production of productive efficiency and preventing critical systems. With this term we intend a technolo- situations in the process.

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4. Key players’ opinions

4.1 The perimeter of innovation

our expert he participants to the roundtable are en- Gianluca Brenna (Chairman) Stamperia di Lipo- T trepreneurs and members of the Advisory mo spa – Lipomo (Co), company founded in 1960 Board of the Textile Solution Center, a group of for textile dyeing printing and finishing. experts created around the Fino Mornasco center to promote digital printing on textiles. They all Luigi Corti (Consultant) He has acquired a deep operate in the Como district where inkjet print- knowledge in the sector of high quality printing ing already took its first steps almost 20 years in his capacity as technical manager of Stampe- ago and has become established to the point of ria Achille Pinto srl (Casnate - Como). being an indispensible technology, accounting for over 60% of textile printing. It is here that the Dario Garnero (Chairman) – Michela Garnero industrial history of digital textile printing is be- (Manager Inkjet Department) – Stamperia Serica ing made, and here, before anywhere else, many Italiana spa, Villa Guardia (CO). The company was of the problems brought by this new technology founded in 1990 and since 2010 it has adopted dig- have come to the fore. Listening to the voices ital printing. It works for the main fashion brands. of these entrepreneurs means to know their history and the work, which they perform daily in Riccardo Robustelli (Director) F.lli Robustelli their company, both elements which may give us srl (Villa Guardia – Co), producers of machin- essential information for the description of the ery for textile manufacturing since 1952, today perimeter of sustainable innovations in which a leader in the production of digital printers and digital printing is situated. A perimeter that is 100% owned by Epson Group. delineated by market dynamics, by the – increasingly global – scenes in which the companies Pietro Roncoroni – Chairman at For.Tex srl 100% operate, but also by the strategies that they have owned by Epson Group, and of the Advisory Board adopted throughout the years in order to keep of the Textile Solution Center. alive and enhance their reputation as companies that are able to provide luxury brands with the Meeeting coordinated by: Aurora Magni, most beautiful fabrics of the highest quality. Marco Ricchetti (Blumine)

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Let us begin from a consideration: invest- auditing to verify the conformity to the required ments in digital technology has allowed parameters of the batches in production on the one printers to become more efficient in hand, and the printers’ policies in terms of environ- responding to the demands of the mar- mental prevention and work safety on the other. ket. But, besides the advantages that may It is also worrying to find that during commer- be summarised as greater flexibility and cial negotiations the company’s actions to en- speed in production, do customers also sure a more ecological printing process are not appreciate the ecological results obtained? recognised in economic terms.

Dario Garnero Pietro Roncoroni The printing plants of the Como district mainly We must not forget that we are working with- work for the highest luxury brand sector and, in in a legislative system that is very attentive on more recent times, also fast-fashion brands have the productive processes’ effects on the environ- arrived. Working for demanding clients who are ment, suffice it to think of the European Reach strongly oriented towards aesthetic innovation in regulations concerning the chemical substances the product also means guaranteeing workmanship and compounds that may be used in the process- of excellent quality and, especially, a fast delivery es. In recent years, however, a new and important time. In recent years the district’s printing com- phenomenon has come about: the printing plants panies, like many other companies ‘upstream’ in themselves have given themselves even more the fashion industry production chain, have been restrictive objectives in terms, for example, of asking themselves about how to reduce their envi- emissions, compared to those that are provided ronmental footprint. They do so, for example, by for by law. We can say that it is very often some investing in photovoltaic power systems and in of the more farsighted companies in textile fin- technologies that allow savings in water and ener- ishing who push on the accelerator of sustain- gy and the reduction of emissions. Digital printers ability; they surpass the legal requirements by are part of this strategy because, as well as accel- anticipating even the customers’ requests. erating production, they allow saving energy and consumption and to avoid excesses in production. In other words the printing companies set To be sustainable is, together with being efficient themselves objectives and strategies that and flexible, a fundamental prerequisite for being are not merely an answer to the market’s in the fashion market today. However the sustaina- demands but they try to move beyond bility approach is not always the desired one. Inkjet them, what are the reasons urging them in printing is immediately appreciated for its twofold this direction? advantage of speeding up production and obtaining the, even tiny, batches required with the expected Gianluca Brenna features of quality; the environmental advantages of An on-going cultural transformation is engaging digital technology and the printer’s commitment to the entire production system. The paradigm based mitigating the impacts on the environment of print- on productivity, on which the fashion system has ing activities are not so immediately appreciated. been predicated for decades, is no longer credi- Things change in the transition between developing ble. The idea that a new machine is sufficient for the collection to its industrial production. It is at this becoming more productive belongs to a way of point that customers take action through specifi- doing business that is obsolete now. A crisis of cations and controls on the fabrics, with company the western production model, an almost twen-

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the players of the panel discussion

Gianluca Brenna Michela Garnero Chairman of Stamperia di Manager Inkjet Lipomo Department at Stamperia Serica Italiana

Luigi Corti riccardo robustelli Consultant, Past Director Director at F.lli Robustelli of Production at Stamperia and member of Advisory Achille Pinto Board Textile Solution Center

Dario Garnero pietro roncoroni Chairman at Stamperia Chairman at For.Tex Serica Italiana and of Advisory Board of the Textile Solution Center

ty-year comparison with the global competitors, in energy from renewable sources. This is not a a decrease in consumption, have set new param- new approach: saving on resources has always eters upon which to distinguish the companies been in the DNA of those who ‘do business’ by that have a future from those that are destined to thinking of the future. failure. And these parameters are ecological ones. It is therefore necessary to consider that sustaina- The companies that have a future are those that bility is a global economic theme, not reducible to are already committed today to leaving a small- a chemical specification. It is about resource man- er footprint on the environment. The others are agement, the relationship of society as a whole, not sustainable, ecologically or economically. economic sustainability. Our way of being a busi- We have great trust in this. It is a persuasion that ness refers on a daily basis to this philosophy that urges us to choose the least polluting technolo- goes beyond the bureaucratic approaches and the gies, that save water and energy, and to invest lists of chemical substances. To inflect the theme of

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sustainability in the printing processes also means that were able to anticipate the logics of water and to ask questions such as: what is the environmental energy saving necessary to ensure the ecologi- weight of a storage or of peaks in production flows cal and economic sustainability of the company. to respond to multiple orders? But most of all: how Choices that the company made well before when much do working conditions in which these pro- sustainability became an important subject in the cesses occur, the degree of safety, of social equity, fashion world, and which allowed us to be ready to the growth in employees’ expertise account for? meet the customers’ requests. In my experience in If all these factors have a value for the upstream Pinto, the visits and audits by suppliers were fre- production chain represented by, often small, sub- quent and they often served the function of stimu- contractors, we may well understand how much it lating further improvements. Certainly the compa- may be worth to global brands that are constantly ny’s fundamental ecological culture has favoured under the spotlight of public opinion. I believe that us in meeting requests that were made and to take today those operating in the sector of textile finish- these on as an opportunity to seek out ever more ing processes and of printing in particular have a advanced solutions on the sides of protecting the more proactive attitude. Those among us entrepre- environment and of product security. neurs who believe in sustainability have surpassed In this context the introduction of inkjet machines the bureaucratic and merely façade vision to field is a concrete step forward in the production of a more integral approach, based on seeking more prints with a smaller environmental impact. innovative solutions that are able to improve both There is an element of truth in identifying digital the processes and our productive offer. This change printing as more ecological, and this is essential- however does not only concern the management ly true for small batches, as well as for sample of technologies, but affects the new organisation books. Compared to traditional printing, and I a models, the capacity for dialogue with multiple referring here to cylinder printing which is the subjects within and without the company who con- most common today, we must consider that these tribute to creating value and to characterising the plants, once they are running at full regime, are production chain also in terms of sustainability. not particularly high energy consumers if the aim is to work on large volumes. The situation is rad- Of course the culture of sustainability ically different if those plants are used to produce cannot be improvised. How important is a few metres of fabric only. Energy consumption it for a company to be able to combine concerns mainly the post-printing phases, drying technological investments with control in particular since the costs of heating the system practices, analysis of critical points, and are out of proportion if considered in relation to the valorisation of even the smallest daily the amounts of fabric treated. The same is true behaviours aimed at downsizing consump- for the consumption of colorants. Printing small tion and waste? batches on standard machines means to allocate a mere 20% of the colorant to the fabric, while Luigi Corti the remaining 80% remains in the circuit, in the It is very important, and my experience confirms pumps, in the tubes and in the cylinder. This is a this. I have worked for years in the Stamperia serious waste because the printing paste is a pre- Achille Pinto, a vertically structured company cious material that cannot be reused. Indeed all working in Como’s district, and I had the oppor- attempts at reusing it have failed. The high quali- tunity to be constantly in relationship with cus- ty printing required by our clients does not allow tomers, but especially to develop company actions messing around with pastes prepared for different

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projects, and it is therefore preferable to wash the eliminate post-printing treatments and thus lower the machines and start from scratch, with the conse- economic but also, and especially, the environmental quent emissions and consumptions. A risk which costs of the processes. Being among the first to de- does not occur with digital printing, that is there- velop a machine that is able to print using pigments, fore confirmed as being much more effective. already in 2004, has opened up an interesting horizon for research. The design experience acquired through The experience of the Como district is intere- Monna Lisa therefore allows us to say that digital sting as it captures an image of an industrial technology is a powerful instrument to adapt printing reality in which printers, textile machinery to the new business models. and chemical companies all confront each other on shared problems. Can a territorial Dario Garnero unit really stimulate innovation and the solu- An ecological problem that is well known in the tion to environmental problems? Como district given the high concentration of printing companies is represented by the process- Riccardo Robustelli ing waste waters, especially urea, and by their F.lli Robustelli has been a pioneer company in the depuration. Disposal fees in treatment plants is adoption of digital technologies when traditional determined by the concentration of pollutants and printing was still held to be adequate for satisfying this prompts the enterprises to dilute their refuse the market requirements. The fact of existing in a in order to fit into the lower fee bracket. Of course silk production district has certainly characterised this is an irrational practice from the environmen- the research aims that we set ourselves over the tal point of view as it increases consumption and years. Our machines were developed also thanks to waste of water. At the moment there are no chem- our clients and they were tested for their concrete ical alternatives to urea, but there are many on-go- needs. Currently the presence of inkjet printers in the ing studies and research projects: what we can do Como area is over 60% of the total of active printing today, however, is to seek ways to reduce nitrogen equipment. Being ahead of time is not simple, but it in the waste water, an objective shared by several consents the field testing of technical solutions to im- companies in the Como district that are working on prove them. From the very beginning of our adven- it with the support of universities. I have mentioned ture as textile machinery producers, the companies in the situation in our district and the on-going re- the district have lent themselves to becoming an ex- search carried out here but I believe that this prob- ceptional laboratory for testing the effectiveness, also lem affects all the areas in the world where there environmental, of a technology devised for its pro- is a concentration of textile printing, and that the ductive flexibility. This may lead to thinking that the results obtained here will be an advantage to all. destination of digital printing is limited to high range production, characterised by small volumes and high Inkjet printing in many ways anticipated and quality, but this is not the case. In fact it is interesting field-tested the potentials of digital or 4.0 to highlight the positive trend of inkjet printing’s pen- factories that are much talked about today. etration also in different contexts from those linked In dialogue with the users one has the to niche production of the high end, like fast-fashion impression that in the Italian setting there is or products for the home and furniture. Among the a two-speed textile industry: one which is several innovation introduced I wish to call attention already capable of relating to a more advan- to the environmental advantages brought by the use ced degree of automation and computeri- of pigments in the printing phase, as these allow to sation of its processes, and therefore more

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027-032-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_4-1.indd 31 15/11/17 09:48 Panel Discussion

strongly interested in, for example, availing The efficacy of a technology is fully realised itself of remote control and maintenance in a cultural and organisational context that systems, and a more backward one, which is is able to appreciate its potentials and fully reluctant to abandon approaches linked to exploit them. In the case of textile printing, an artisanal culture of production. beyond the advantages highlighted before in terms of production efficiency and coherence Michela Garnero with the market and consumption trends, the- The diffusion of digital technologies is already re is the added advantage of sustainable pro- a given fact at the global level, of course this is duction. Can textile printing, being a creative so also in our Como district, and it is a situation industry par excellence, become a laboratory from which there is no going back. After all our for experimenting new models of technical, professional and social life is pervaded by the new cultural and organizational innovation? technologies, which have become indispensible. Making a high quality printed fabric, however, Gianluca Brenna cannot be wholly delegated to a computer and to All our considerations refer to an integrated vi- a machine, no matter how advanced; it requires a sion of sustainability, in which digital technolo- knowledge of the materials and a sensibility that gy is undoubtedly one of the key elements, but are developed by operators especially by working not the only one. The question is: how much with less automated approaches such as those of impact do the different types of printing, digital traditional printing. What concerns me is that in and traditional, have in a process of lean econo- training the new generations of printers it is mainly my? And, if it is true that the paradigm based on the learning of digital functions that are privileged, the old productive model on the basis of which loosing sight of the material knowledge about the once the samples have been made the aim is to textiles, colorants and auxiliaries or the reactions produce the maximum quantity of selected sam- that occur during the printing processes, in the ples is no longer sustainable, to what degree is preparatory phases as well as during the finishing a model based instead on flexibility and versa- processes. Such loss of knowledge does not only tility sustainable? At this point in time the busi- involve the young designers, but also us young en- ness models inspired by sustainability are the trepreneurs, who are at risk of giving up this expe- winners, on the condition that answers are not riential component linked, for example, to the tac- only sought in technological solutions, but also tile effects of a material. Since it is an activity with involve the overall organisational system. At the a strong element of creativity, textile printing must same time, we must not undervalue the objec- preserve also the more manual aspects of its tradi- tive problems in the system: we are confronting tion in order to make the best use of inkjet’s poten- a new industrial paradigm based on sustainabil- tials. This consideration is born of the experience ity with companies that were created 30 years of Como but I believe that it can be transferred to ago and were organised to ensure the maximum any context where printing projects and processes industrial output. The question, therefore, is: is are developed. This too is sustainability: that is the this system, regardless of the territorial bound- capacity to attribute value to a territory’s cultural aries within which it is operating, able to adjust and social identity through its industrial history. It also from the cultural point of view, to the pro- is needless to say that the education and training duction logics that are made possible by the cul- system must play a fundamental role by divulging ture of digital industry, and thus fully exploit its such knowledge and information. advantages?

32 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

027-032-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_4-1.indd 32 15/11/17 09:48 Chemistry and sustainability 5. in textile printing

5.1 Evolution of the vision of chemical sustainability in textile processes

ne of the most powerful incentives for the Depuration of potential pollutants from refuse O sustainability revolution in fashion of the waters at the end of the process, or the end-of- last five years has arisen from a new vision con- pipe approach, has a consolidated history. The cerning management of the products’ chemical take-off of the textile districts in Italy during the safety and of the risk of releasing chemical sub- second half of the last century went hand in hand stances that are dangerous for the environment and with the creation of consortiums for communal for health. Awareness of direct dangers has spread depuration systems; the paradigmatic example is widely: textile products are those which come in that of the Prato district, one of the most impor- closest contact with the body and the presence of tant textile production centres in Europe, where dangerous chemical substances that may also have in the 1970s the local administration created a been transferred to the fabric during printing pro- vast network of industrial waste water depura- cesses, may be harmful to health. On the other hand, tion capable of serving all the firms operating more recently an enormous indirect risk has been on its territory. This approach has some limits: recognised as possibly deriving from the contami- the incentive to take action through innovations nation of air and water during textile processes, for in the production processes to reduce dangerous example during the processes of dyeing, printing substances used is limited to the sole econom- or washing the textiles, or even when the garments ic advantage given by the reduction of fees for are laundered in the consumers’ own homes. Such depuration charged to the company; it does not risks increase when the substances involved have eliminate the risk factors. Indeed the possibility potentially carcinogenic, mutagenic effects or are remains that dangerous substances are released dangerous for the reproductive cycle and can be in the environment anyway, due to accidents, transmitted within the food chain and accumulate malfunctioning or incorrect behaviour, and the in the human organism. chances that it may occur increase with the lack With few exceptions this problem was traditional- of control determined by greater fragmentation ly managed through two strategies: depuration and decentralisation of the production processes, and managing/minimising the risks. as typically happens in the fashion industry.

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033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 33 17/11/17 11:05 In Europe these limits have led since the mid stances, those that are carcinogenic, bioaccumu- 1990s1, to choose alternative strategies for manag- lative, mutagenic or dangerous for the reproduc- ing and minimising risk through direct interven- tive system, for which control and restrictions tions and innovation of the production process- maximum levels are not sufficient and for which es. The basic principles of this approach are the the recognition of the principle of precaution2 adoption of the Best Available Techniques (BAT), imposes “the substitution of dangerous by less balancing between environmental benefits and dangerous substances where suitable alterna- costs for the companies and the emphasis on pol- tives are available”. (Commission of the Euro- lution risk prevention rather than on end of pipe pean Communities, White Paper. Strategies for a cleaning by depuration. From the point of view Future Chemicals Policy, 2001). of norms, this strategy is expressed by restrictions concerning the maximum acceptable threshold It is on this last aspect that during the last five years for dangerous chemical substances present in the a new vision on managing the risk of releasing processes and on the products. This strategy gave dangerous chemical substances was developed, birth to the European REACH regulation (see bringing to an acceleration in the transformations box) in 2006. The imposition of restrictions is an of the fashion industry. In this new vision the incentive to introduce new approaches that capa- elimination or risk, through the elimination and ble of mitigating the role of potentially polluting replacement of dangerous substances – which in composites (for example through the reduction in the previous approach was already indicated as the volumes of chemical substances used and the an objective but was not well specified and in improvement of printing processes and dye reci- some way remained as a subordinate objective pes). Innovation on the front of technologies is of- – has been made operative and situated at the ten more radical, as in the case of the development core of the action. This vision affirms itself in of closed-cycle systems that recover and recycle the panorama of the global fashion market start- the totality or the greater part of the chemical sub- ing from 2011, with Greenpeace’s DETOX my stances, for example in washing processes using Fashion3 campaign. The revolutionary element perchloroethylene, or the recovery and re-using of the new vision for fashion industry is there- of solvents in the Lyocell production cycle. fore not in the novelty of its principles which was a already a part of the European rule system, However this strategy also foresees a second line but in the priority it attributed to risk elimination of action for the most dangerous chemical sub- and to the replacement of dangerous substances,

(1) See for example: European Commission, Directive 96/61/EC on Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC), 1996; European Commission, White paper. Strategies for a future Chemicals Policy. COM(2001) 88 def., 2001; European Parliament, Report on the Commission White Paper on Strategy for a future Chemicals, 2001. (2) In Europe the importance of the precaution principle and its forms and ways of application in decision making has been defined by the COM Commission (2000). (3) In July 2011, Greenpeace International has published the Dirty Laundry report which analyses the grave and immediate threats to ecosystems and human health deriving from the leaking of dangerous chemical substances in water by the global fashion production chain, and calls, in the pragmatic and prevocatio- nal style typical of the environmentalist NGO, for urgent action to eliminate the use and release of these substances.

34 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 34 17/11/17 11:05 more coherently with the precaution principle. cal context. Objectives that only five years ago And in fact clear objectives – such as the elimi- seemed to be utopic, today are already shared nation of 11 classes of chemical substances – are practices or procedures that are becoming dif- defined,made public through the commitment on fused throughout the market. the website by those brands subscribing to the Depuration, risk management and minimisa- campaign, and measurable through chemical tion, elimination of dangerous substances rep- analyses on the products or on waste waters that resent, rather than three alternative visions, a hier- are to be made publicly available according to a archy of actions – in line with the BAT approach. predefined calendar for reaching the objectives, The favoured action, when technology allows it, from the day of subscription to the campaign to is the elimination of dangerous substances; if its final deadline in 2020. technology does not allow this, minimisation The new vision has had an unprecedented im- objectives and maximum levels of concentra- pact on the fashion community and industry tion must be set. Depuration is the last resort, due to several factors: the simple message; the residual solution when there are no alternatives use of a language in line with that of fashion; of lesser environmental impact for reaching the Greenpeace’s support of the campaign using the functions required by fashion. strategy of ‘the stick ‘ – the name and shame campaigns affecting brands - and of ‘the car- The hierarchy of actions for the sustainability of chemical products rot’ – inviting consumers not to boycott but to influence their favourite brands’ policies; the chance to use their subscription to the campaign Elimination Preferable Substitution of dangerous substances by brands as an instrument to differentiate themselves from competitors. On the other hand, Optimisation these same factors have contributed to stimulate Imposition of maximum opposing positions among the companies that levels of concentration subscribed to the campaign and those who were Least preferable Depuration radically opposed to it, as in some instances the end-of-pipe proposed vision is utopic in its requirement to eliminate substances for which there still are no valid substitute chemicals. Source: Blumine The new vision was rapidly adopted by the major companies, but it proliferated with the birth The evolution of policies of associations between major global brands and restrictions (such as ZDHC – Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) and of initiatives by the sector’s The evolution of strategies for tackling the organizations – in Italy the publication by the chemical risks of textile industry was accompa- Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Sistema nied, in many countries, by restrictive policies Moda Italia and by Unione Italiana Conciatori of and norms on the use of dangerous substances. Guidelines for eco-toxicology prerequisites for We have already mentioned the REACH regula- articles of clothing, leather, shoes and accesso- tion in Europe, which today represents the most ries – which in different forms have all adopt- advanced example on the global scene. In the ed the same objectives. It has also triggered a USA, federal laws –like the Consumer Product significant influx of innovations in the chemi- Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) introduced in

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033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 35 17/11/17 11:05 2008 by President Obama and further reinforced ported or used on the national territory and do in 2011 – and State laws – for example the fa- not restrict use in production; this implies that mous Proposition 65 in California and others many dangerous chemical substances may be in Connecticut, Illinois, Minnesota and Wash- used on exported products resulting in “export- ington State – impose restrictions on the use or ing risks and dangerous substances”, which turn presence of dangerous substances on textiles and into pollution of water and air of the destinations items of clothing. countries (mainly Europe and the USA), and For many years the situation in Asia has been causing damages to health in these countries. different, and indeed in many cases the absence An even greater impact resulted in recent years of rules in Asian countries has been an incen- from self-regulation policies implemented by tive to transferring production to those coun- the major brands, imposing RSLs (Restricted tries. The gap between Europe, the USA and Substances Lists) on their suppliers, with limits Asia however, is rapidly narrowing. Starting on the presence of dangerous chemical substanc- in 1972 with the introduction in Japan of law es, or even MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted 112, imposing restrictions on azo dyes; in 2005 Substances Lists), which impose limits on the China has introduced the GB18401 regulation; substances used in the production processes, re- between 2010 and 2012 South Korea and Tai- gardless of whether said substances themselves wan have introduced other restrictions. It must remain on the fabric or are eliminated through be underlined that often the regulations imposed washing processes. Front-liner in these initia- by Asian countries concern products that are im- tives was, once again, Greenpeace’s DETOX my

The Reach regulation and ECHA

Attention to the danger of chemical substances and their industrial processes has been boosted in Europe by the enforcement, in 2007, of the European Community’s REACH Regulation for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restrictions of Chemicals (EC Regulation n.1907/2006), which defines the degree of safety or danger of the substances used. The regulation has the objectives of ensuring a greater level of protection of human health and of the environment, and of improving knowledge of dangers and risks deriving from the use of chemical products. Around 30,000 chemical substances and products are subject to analysis to determine their dangerousness and are included into a database shared by all member States of the European Union; it establishes common management practices or, if necessary, prohibits their use. Producers of colorants, auxiliaries and additives, and their users, must document the use of chemical substances and compounds through technical records ensuring traceability in the processes.

The burden of proof concerning the safety of substances is upon the firms that must identify and manage the risks associated to the substances that they produce and sell, demonstrate to ECHA (European CHemicals Agency) how they manage the risks and inform users of the risk management measures adopted. If such risks are not manageable, authorities have the faculty of imposing various kinds of limitations to the use of substances and, in the long term, the more dangerous substances must be replaced with less dangerous ones. Substances that are defined in the regulations as being “of very high concern” are included in a specific list (Annex XIV to REACH); they may be put on the market, for specific and controlled uses, only after a request is made by the firms and only if authorised by the European Commission. The REACH Regulation is made up of 141 articles and 17 technical annexes. ECHA, with offices in con Helsinki, Finland, performs the role of technical-scientific coordination of all activities provided for by the REACH Regulation and organises the database for collecting and managing the data provided for the registration of substances, also with the objective of guaranteeing the public’s access to information about chemical substances.

36 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 36 17/11/17 11:05 fashion campaign as the list of restricted sub- environment within the firm. The OEKO-TEX® stances is very similar in the RSL or M-RSL of STANDARD 100 certification is over 20 years all the major brands, while the main differences old, and has granted over 160,000 certificates concern the existence of admissible quantities of for millions of finished textile products to more substances or the requirement that they are com- than 10,000 participating firms, belonging to all pletely eliminated, the methods of analysis re- sectors of textile production chain. ECOPASS- quired to prove conformity, and the existence of PORT is the most recent and updated protocol the clause of non intentional use of substances. for the certification of sustainable production of In conclusion, the theme of the sustainability of textile products, it may be considered as sort of the chemical products used in textile processes highest common factor in relation to the most and the knowledge of the panorama of restric- part of conformity requirements demanded by tions applied in the norms of different countries the market. or the RSL or M-RSL imposed by the brands have become, for all companies that carry out Bluesign printing activities on textiles, a crucial factor in This is an independent industrial textile standard knowing the market, and conforming to the re- developed in Switzerland in 2000, based on the strictive standards has become a necessary and principles of resource productivity, consumer critical factor for their competitiveness and even safety, emissions, water usage and quality and presence in the market. health and safety of the workplace. This is an increasingly recognised standard for sustainable wet processing, and an instrument that consents Inks for digital printing: improving the raw materials’ efficiency along sustainability and conformity to the entire supply chain of textile products. The the standards required popularity of this system of certification is lar- by the market gerly due to the integrated vision it proposes by Printing is one of the phases of production that is not taking into consideration a single product, at the centre of attention for the management of but its entire production process and the working sustainability in the use of chemicals in textile pro- conditions of workers involved in its production. duction processes. The use of digital technologies allows, in comparison to traditional printing, a Global Organic Textile Standard reduction of the amounts of colorants and inks It is a standard developed by leading interna- used. In the scenario described it is nonetheless tional organisations in organic farming to guar- necessary to respect either the normative limita- antee the consumer that organic textile products tions or those of voluntary RSL/M-RSL set our are obtained according to the rigorous environ- by the brands. Among the most well-known cer- mental and social criteria applied to all levels tifications we mention here: of production, from the harvesting of natural fibres to the following manufacturing phases, OEKO-TEX® Standard to the labelling of the finished product. Certifi- OEKO-TEX® is the first system to guarantee the cation may be obtained by textile products that safety of textile products in Europe, and Nissen- can be shown to contain at least 95% of organic ken is the exclusive certification authority in Ja- natural textile fibres (vegetable and animal), pan. Certifications concern all the phases of man- that is obtained in accordance to the criteria set ufacturing the raw material, the products and the by organic agriculture. Therefore this excludes

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033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 37 17/11/17 11:05 man-made fibres and natural fibres obtained by standard or OGM procedures. Among the prerequisites considered are also the conditions in which the fibres and the products are made (respect of the rules for workers’ safety and rights and of the principles of social equity). As well as textile products and manufacturing activities, also chemical products used in textile industry can be certified as GOTS.

Genesta for Monna Lisa: a choice for quality and sustainability For.Tex, the chemical firm that has been- cho sen since 2000 by Seiko Epson Corporation together with F.lli Robustelli as official partner in their sustainable printing project, has developed its enterprise policy in full coherence with this principle. Born in 1986 in Fino Mor- nasco (Como), since 2015 the firm is entirely controlled by Epson Italia. The combination of territorial rootedness in the heart of the Como district and the international dimension of the organisation has permitted the intensification of research and development activities, which have The monitoring and control of the safety and sus- resulted in the offer of a vast range of colorants, tainability of their inks by qualified and independ- inks, pigments, printing auxiliaries, finishing ent organisms is an important prerequisite, for products and adhesives. For.Tex as well as for its customers who request guarantees of conformity to market norms and The whole array of Genesta inks developed for requirements. For this reason Epson is undergo- the Monna Lisa series – acid, reagent, disperse, ing further important certification processes and pigment and disperse sublimation – have been has enlisted in the OEKO-TEX® testing proto- developed and are produced by taking account cols to obtain the ECO PASSPORT certification, of the evolution of the requisites for conforming which it has already obtained for its Ultrachrome to the standards for sustainability of chemical DS inks for sublimation printing of the Epson products, and following the hierarchy of actions SureColor F series, and for the Ultrachrome DG mentioned above: elimination of dangerous sub- inks for direct printing of t-shirts with Epson stances by replacing them with other non dan- SureColor F-2000. gerous ones whenever the technology allows In order to obtain this certification the Genesta it, minimising their quantity in those cases for inks had to pass two series of tests by accred- which an alternative does not as yet exist, com- ited OEKO-TEX® laboratories. The first -en mitment to research to find alternative solutions tailed a screening of the chemical compounds as soon as possible. at the level of the ingredients, according to the

38 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 38 17/11/17 11:05 nostannic compounds, arylamines, shortchain chlorinated solvents (SCCP) chlorobenzenes and chlorotoluenes, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), solvents (NMP,DMAc, DMF), alkyl phenols etoxylates (APEO), perfluorocarbons (PFC), VOCs. Testing by chemical analysis guarantees that the Genesta inks can be used by printers in respect of the chemical requirements of the OEKO-TEX®.

Beyond the analyses required for the ECO PASSPORT certification, For.Tex performs a constant monitoring on the presence of dangerous substances that may enter into the production processes also because of unintentional con- taminations with basic chemical substances. In the first7 months of 2017 For.Tex has performed 155 analyses in external, independent laboratories – an average of about 1 test per each work- day – testing for the presence of most at-risk substances: APEO, amines associated to azocol- orants, chlorophenols, chlorobenzenes and chlorotoluenes, which were shown to be absent in all the tests (or inferior to the detection threshold OEKO-TEX® Restricted Substances; the second for the analytical instruments); tests were also screening was done according to the Manufactur- done to verify that other substances which at the ing Restricted Substances. The chemical analyses moment cannot yet be eliminated, like for exam- performed by OEKO-TEX® have detected no ple heavy metals, are in any case minimised to presence, or a presence to a level lower than the below the permitted levels. limits allowed by the norms and by the RSL/M- For.Tex is thus shown to have adopted an ap- RSL of fashion brands, for dangerous chemical proach that is strongly oriented to sustainability, substances such as: formaldehyde, heavy met- tending to constant improvement of its environ- als, pesticides, chlorophenols, phtalates, orga- mental performances and of product safety.

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033-039-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_5-1.indd 39 17/11/17 11:05

6. Epson: the choice of sustainability

6.1 a primary objective

n 1987, when the Epson Group first came to I Italy, the role it would play in the textile industry was not foreseeable. At the end of the 1990s the world began talking about digital printing on textiles. A potential technological revolution to which Epson brought its technology of inkjet printing with piezoelectric printheads that is considered to be more suitable for the textile world; two leading companies from the Como area immediately believed in its potential. These are F.lli Robustelli, a company for textile machinery born in the early 1950s which has always designed and produced machines for photo-engrav- The objective indicated for 2050, when the world ing and printing on fabric, and For.Tex, born in 1986 population is expected to be 9 billion people and and specialised in the sale of chemical products for the effects of climate change will be very worry- printing (dyes, pigments, pastes, thickeners, etc.). ing if action is not taken in time, is a 90% reduc- The three companies began to work on designing tion of the CO2 emissions produced by its prod- a reliable printer capable of producing prints of ucts’ life-cycle and by the provided services. extremely high quality. A “production” printer, The current data, relative to the whole range of that is a printer with high productive capacity, Epson production, show that this policy is already suited for industrial production. And thus began underway and that its first concrete results can be the story of Monna Lisa and high quality digital recorded. Thanks to the innovations introduced printing on textiles at the industrial level. (the reduction of consumption and recycling of materials), in 2016 the CO2 emissions attributable to the group as a whole show a reduction of 43% Epson’S 2017 sustainability since 2006, and the water saving for the same pe- REPORT riod amounts to 55%. Epson’s 2017 Sustainability Report shows a pic- In order to meet such important ecological goals ture of what the Group has done over the years to the company’s entire organisational model is in- reduce the environmental impact of its activities spired by the culture of sustainability. and states the future objectives it intends to meet. An approach that places the accent of the choices

40 Beyond the Silk RoaD – The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era

040-041-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_6.1.indd 40 17/11/17 11:08 the precisioncore printhead

This technology is based on piezoelectric crystals only one micron in thickness, placed onto a structure made of flexible silica that changes shape when exposed to electrical tension, thus activating the tiny “ink pumps” inside each printhead nozzle. The use of a piezoelectric component has the effect of doubling the flection capacity of the actuator compared to a traditional printhead. This characteristic, coupled with a new configuration of the ink flux, allows for extreme minimisation of the printing process and permits the positioning of a great number of nuzzles, favouring The PrecisionCore printhead precision and speed in the process as a whole. Each one of the elements is activated around 50,000 times per second and PrecisionCore nozzles are environmental guidelines such as the EU guide- also able to “reconfigure” automatically in around line European Waste and Electronic Equipment 1/10,000 of a second to emit small round drops Directive, and more generally, through a close of variable sizes, suitable for guaranteeing the perfect covering of the substratum. The ecological relationship with stakeholders advantage is to be found in the minimisation of consumption since the colour is deposited only Innovation and sustainability where it is needed without excessive emissions or in printheads defects that would produce wastage and require Epson’s main contribution to textile printing may reprinting the designs. be identified in its printheads that work by applying the principles of piezoelectric physics. made over the years, in terms of quality through The diffusion of such technology as an alternative the ISO 9001 certification system, the ISO to conventional printing systems – reads the 2017 14000 system for environmental certification Epson Group Sustainability Report – will enable a and the ISO 26000 system for social certifica- reduction of CO2 emissions by 90% within 2050. tion, as well as specific voluntary certifications In defining such innovative approach the company for given lines of products (such as, for example, has made use of the technologies based on silica ECOPASSport by OEKO-TEX®). and glass developed in the making of semicon- As far as the textile market is concerned the ambi- ductor chips for integrated circuits, used to create tious aims undertaken by the Corporation are fa- accelerometers for motorcars and cellular phones, voured by the ecodesign approaches shared by the hard disk components and other devices. This is a producers of the Monna Lisa: a compact, flexible good example of ‘contamination’ between different machine characterised by low energy consump- technologies and of the transferral of innovation tion, devised to last over time without replacing benefiting other industrial sectors. The technology structural components that would result in dis- of PrecisionCore printheads is in fact the result of carding bulky material. one of the greatest investments in research and de- These concepts, already outlined in the 2005 velopment in Epson’s history, which associated the Principles of Corporate Behaviour, are summa- company’s expertise in producing MEMS (Micro rised by the slogan ‘Better Products for a Better Electro Mechanical Systems) devices, to the ad- Future’ and made concrete through compliance to vancements made in the science of materials.

Book 03 – digital printing AND SUSTAINABILITY 41

040-041-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-cap_6.1.indd 41 17/11/17 11:08 GLOSSARY

A B

(AOX) Biomass (Absorbable Halogenated hydrocarbons) Disposal of agricultural and forestry crops, The AOX index represents the total amount of residues from the wood and paper process- chlorine, bromine and iodine present in the ing industry, organic products derived from wastewater. As an aggregate index, however, it the biological activity of animals and humans does not provide information on the toxicity of such as those contained in urban waste. More the various contaminants. In the textile industry, generally, a biomass is all of animal and veg- they can be derived from multiple processes etable origin is produced on Earth based on such as, for example, fiber bleaching phases. a life cycle. Biomass can be recycled, used as AOXs are limited in many regulations and cer- fertilizer or in waste-to-energy production. tifications. Biopolymer Apeo Polymers obtained through biological pro- (AlkylPhenol EthOxylates) cesses. They can be of synthetic origin such A group of nonionic surfactants, the most as derived from some polyesters, polyester commonly used being nonylphenol ethox- amides or from alcohol, or derived from ma- ylate (NPEO) and ethoxylated ottylphenol terials of vegetable origin and therefore re- (OPEO). The chemical structure of these mole- newable (eg starch). cules has led to widespread use in textile pro- The European Bioplastics Association distin- cesses, particularly in wet processes, for their guishes them in: dispersing, detergent and emulsifying action. • Biodegradable Polymers with composta- APEOs are dangerous for the environment bility approved on the basis of EN 13432. and for aquatic organisms. Recent studies In this case the source (renewable or fossil confirm that APEOs are potential endocrine fuel) is not relevant for the definition; disruptors, as well as being highly bio-accu- • Polymers based on renewable source. In this mulative and persistent. APEOs are already case they could be biodegradable or not. subject to restrictions in Europe since 2005. EU Directive 2003/53 / EG prohibited the use Bluesign of NPEO, the main APEO group, in concen- An independent industrial textile standard de- trations above 0.1% in chemical formulations. veloped in Switzerland in 2000, built around However, the presence of this group of sub- the principles of resource productivity, con- stances in the processes of European com- sumer safety, air emission, water use and emis- panies and end products may be induced by sion and occupational health and safety. It is an semi-finished products and chemicals pro- increasingly recognised standard to follow for duced in countries where APEO is permitted. sustainable wet processing and is a tool which In 2017, ECHA (European Chemicals Agency, enables improved sources efficiency along the established by the REACH Regulation) gave a whole of the textiles supply chain. favorable opinion on the European market for imported products containing APEO.

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emissions. It is normally accomplished by the economic support of projects to increase CO2 C absorption, such as trees planting or avoiding greenhouse gases emissions (eg. production Carbon footprint from renewable energy sources). It is the weighted sum of the greenhouse gases generated within the life cycle of a prod- Cradle-to-Cradle uct/service or by an organization. Expressed Literally “from cradle to cradle” defines pro- in terms of CO2eq, it is the human contribu- duction techniques essentially that are essen- tion to the natural greenhouse effect. tially waste free and aimed to reuse pre and post-consumer waste. In cradle-to-cradle pro- Circular Economy duction, all material inputs and outputs exist An alternative to the traditional linear econo- in a technical or biological cycle. Technical my (make, use and dispose). It is an economic nutrients can be recycled or reused without system where products and services are ex- quality loss and organic nutrients composted changed in closed circuits or ‘cycles’. A circu- or consumed for example as fertilizers. lar economy is characterized as an economy that is regenerative for design, in order to maintain the greatest possible value of products, parts and materials. This means that the aim should be to create a system that allows E long life, optimum reuse, renewal, recycling and recycling of materials. The use of waste Ecodesign and resources is minimized and when a prod- Design techniques characterized by the integra- uct reaches the end of life, it is still used to tion of environmental aspects into the product create additional value. definition in order to improve its environmental performance throughout its life cycle. CO2eq (equivalent) It is the unit by which is measured the Carbon EcoPassport (by Oeko-Tex) Footprint of a product, process, or organiza- A certification system through which textile tion. It represents the total amount of carbon chemicals suppliers demonstrate that they dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases can be used for sustainable textile produc- (CH2, N2O, HFC etc) associated with a product tion. The ECOPASSPORT program offers two (a good or a service) throughout its entire life distinct yet complementary stages: cycle, thus representing the actual and over- - Stage 1: Restricted Substance List (RSL) and all contribution of that human activity to the Manufacturing Restricted Substance List global greenhouse effect. (MRSL) screening; The use of CO2e allows to: - Stage 2: Analytical verification performed in • bundles of greenhouse gases to be ex- an OEKO-TEX® member institute laboratory pressed as a single number; Products passing the requirements of all • easily compare different bundles of GHGs in two processes earn the ECOPASSPORT by terms of their total global warming impact. OEKO-TEX® certification and will be entered into the OEKO-TEX® buying guide which is CO2 Offsetting the OEKO-TEX® central sourcing platform of Compensatory action by an individual or a pre-certified articles and materials. firm to neutralize its direct and indirect CO2eq

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Environmental Certifications The ECHA (European Chemical Agency) high- Instruments adopted by organizations and com- lights the danger. panies wishing to quantify and manage the en- According to the harmonised classification vironmental footprint of their activities, commu- and labelling (ATP06) approved by the Eu- nicating their commitment transparently through ropean Union, this substance is toxic if swal- an official and documented recognition. lowed, it causes severe skin burns and eye They can distinguish in product certifications damage, can cause cancer and is suspected (eg Ecolabel, Environmental Product Decla- of causing genetic alterations. rations-EPD) and process certifications (eg Environmental Management System, EMAS). To achieve some product certifications introduced above, technical tools are used to evaluate environmental impacts along the life G cycle of goods and services such as the Life Cycle Assessment-LCA (also referred to as the GOTS carbon footprint and the water footprint) . (Global Organic Textile Standard) There are also a number of instruments A worldwide textile processing standard for thought for public administrations and aimed organic fibres, including ecological and so- at reducing the environmental impact of pur- cial criteria, backed up by independent cer- chasing procedures of Public Administration tification of the entire textile supply chain. (Green Public Procurement - GPP). The aim is to define world-wide recognized They are useful tools for sustainable develop- requirements that ensure organic status for ment, as certified organizations take concrete textiles, from harvesting of raw materials, action to limit their environmental impacts both through manufacturing up to labelling in direct (from their own activities) and indirect order to provide a credible assurance to the (environmental aspects on which that may have end consumer. some influence), improve emissions reduction, encourage recycling and good environmental Green chemistry practices. The main commitment of the certified Green Chemistry is an ethical approach based organization is the continuous improvement on criteria, priorities and goals that derive from policy of their environmental performance. the scientific knowledge of chemistry to guide the applications of this discipline, starting with Environmental footprint industrial ones, towards sustainable modes. It indicates the environmental burden due to The 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, first pro- a product or organization. pounded by Anastas and Warner, are a widely accepted set of criteria for assessing the “green- ness” or environmental acceptability of processes for the manufacture of chemical products: 1. It is better to prevent waste than to treat or F clean up waste after it is formed. 2. Synthetic methods should be designed to Formaldehyde maximise the incorporation of all materials A volatile organic compound present in na- used in the process into the final product. ture in small quantities. Large quantities can 3. Wherever practicable, synthetic method- cause burning sensations in the eyes, nose, ologies should be designed to use and and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and generate substances that possess little or skin irritation. Long term exposition can lead no toxicity to human health and the envi- to an increase in the risk of cancer. ronment.

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4. Chemical products should be designed Commitment where they agree to eliminate to preserve efficiency of function while re- all hazardous substances from the supply ducing toxicity. chain. 5. The use of auxiliary substances (e.g. solvents, separation agents, etc) should be GWP made unnecessary wherever possible (Global Warming Potential) and, innocuous when used. It represents the “climatic alteration capacity” 6. Energy requirements should be recog- of a greenhouse gas. nised for their environmental and eco- Carbon dioxide (CO2) is assigned a GWP of 1; nomic impacts and should be minimised. gases with a higher GWP have a greater effect Synthetic methods should be conducted on climate change. For example, methane has at ambient temperature and pressure. a GWP of 25, meaning that 1 Kg of methane 7. A raw material of feedstock should be re- released in the atmosphere has “greenhouse newable rather depleting wherever tech- impact” equivalent to 25 Kg of CO2. nically and economically practicable. 8. Unnecessary derivatisation (blocking group, protection/deprotection, temporary mod- ification of physical/chemical processes) should be avoided whenever possible. H 9. Catalytic reagents (as selective as possible) are superior to stoichiometric rea- H eavy Metals gents. Heavy metals are naturally occurring ele- 10. Chemical products should be designed ments. Their multiple applications have led so that at the end of their function they do to their wide distribution in the environment; not persist in the environment and break raising concerns over their potential effects down into innocuous degradation prod- on human health and the environment. Be- ucts. cause of their high degree of toxicity, arsenic, 11. Analytical methodologies need to be cadmium, chromium, lead, and mercury rank further developed to allow for real-time, among the priority metals that are of public in-process monitoring and control prior to health significance. These metallic elements the formation of hazardous substances. are considered systemic toxicants that are 12. Substances and the form of a substance known to induce multiple organ damage, used in a chemical process should be even at lower levels of exposure and are also chosen so as to minimise the potential for classified as human carcinogens. Their pres- chemical accidents, including releases, ex- ence in textile products and production cy- plosions and fires. cles, due to their generalized toxicity and the high environmental impact, is increasingly Greenpeace Detox Campaign monitored by both legislation and ecological The Detox campaign was launched in 2011 quality labels. by Greenpeace to expose the direct links between global clothing brands, their sup- Higg Index pliers and toxic water pollution around the A suite of self-assessment tools that empow- world. Fieldwork and investigations in man- er apparel and footwear industry brands, ufacturing countries, along with the testing retailers and facilities to measure their envi- of branded garments for traces of hazardous ronmental and social and labor impacts and chemicals, resulted in the release of reports. identify areas for improvement. The Higg As consequence by 2017 28 fashion brands Index delivers a holistic overview of the sus- and 53 producers have signed the Detox tainability performance of a product or com-

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pany. Launched in 2012, it was developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the United States government Environmental Protection N Agency, and other nonprofit entities. Norm GB 18401-2010 (National General Safety Technical Code for Textile Products) Norm issued by the Standardization Adminis- L tration of the People’s Republic of China. It reg- ulates the presence of hazardous substances LCA in textile and clothing products sold in the Chi- (Life Cycle Assessment) nese market and sets out some technical spec- Technical methodology for assessing the en- ifications with the aim to improve quality and vironmental footprint of a product or service safeguarding consumers health and safety. throughout its life cycle. The standard divides textile products in three According to Iso 14040/14044, four opera- categories: for children (0-36 months), in di- tional phases are planned: rect contact with the skin, without direct con- - Definition of objectives and scope (pur- tact with the skin, and assigns technical re- pose, functional unit, system boundaries, quirements for each type. ie activities / processes taken into account); The technical specifications refer to: limits for - Inventario: quantification of the inputs and formaldehyde, the color fastness with respect related emissions for each phase of the life to sweat, saliva and abrasion resistance, smell, cycle; presence of carcinogenic aromatic amines. - Impact Assessment: determines the potential effects of the system on the environment based on specific impact categories; - Interpretation of the results: it allows to identify the results obtained by an action O to mitigate the environmental impact and the areas of improvement. Oeko-Tex 100 standard Global standard issued in 1992 by the Inter- national Association for Research and Test- ing in the Field of Textile Ecology (Oeko-Tex). Is an independent testing and certification M system for raw, semi-finished, and finished textile products at all processing levels, as M-RSL well as accessory materials used. Tissues and (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) products with this certification have a specif- List of hazardous chemicals subject to restric- ic set of harmful substances below the set tions during production and discharge into limit values. the environment during processing.

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dangers and risks arising from existing chemicals (those introduced before September P 1981) and new ones (after September 1981) and at the same time maintain and strength- PFAS en competitiveness and the innovative ca- (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) pabilities of the European chemical industry. Class of chemicals introduced since the 50s REACH is an integrated registration, evalua- to make it waterproof and grease and dirt re- tion and authorization system for chemicals sistant different materials including fabrics. that aims to ensure a higher level of protec- They are very persistent in the environment tion of human health and the environment. and if ingested or inhaled in the human body. Through REACH, you will get more compre- Do not degrade when exposed to air, water hensive information on: or sunlight. In 2006, the European Union in- - the hazardous properties of the manipulat- troduced restrictions on the use of PFOS, one ed products of the most widely used PFAS molecules, to - exposure hazards be applied by Member States. - the safety measures to be applied. “Extremely dangerous” substances are in- PFC cluded in a specific list (Annex XIV of the (Perfluorocarbons) Regulation) and may be marketed for specific They are artificial substances widely used by and controlled uses and only on request by the industry for non-stick, hydro-and oleo-re- the companies and only if authorized by the pellent properties. In the textile industry, they European Commission. are used to produce waterproof and stain-re- The REACH Regulation, consisting of 141 ar- sistant leather and fabrics. Tests show that ticles and 17 technical annexes, provides for many PFCs are difficult to dispose of because the establishment of a European Chemicals they persist in the environment and may ac- Agency (ECHA), headquartered in Helsinki cumulate in the tissues and increase their lev- (Finland). ECHA has the role of technical and el through contamination of the food chain. scientific coordination of the activities under Once assimilated by the body, some PFCs the REACH Regulation, first, organizing a da- have effects on the liver and, as endocrine tabase to collect and manage data provided disrupters, can alter growth levels and hor- for the registration of the substances, in or- mone reproduction. der to ensure public access to information on chemicals. P roduct end of life The state of a product having reached the end of its first use until its final disposal, reuse or recycle. S

SA8000 A social certification standard for production R activities and organizations. It was established by Social Accountability International in 1997 REACH as a multi-stakeholder initiative. Over the years, (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of the Standard has evolved into an overall frame- Chemicals) work that helps certified organizations demon- EC Regulation n. 1907/2006. The main objec- strate their dedication to the fair treatment of tive of REACH is to improve knowledge of the workers across industries and in any country.

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The Standard reflects labor provisions con- measured in terms of the volumes of water tained within the Universal Declaration of Hu- consumed (evaporated or incorporated into man Rights and International Labour Organi- a product) and/or polluted per unit of time. zation (ILO) conventions.

Z V ZDHC VOC A coalition that includes 22 signatory brands, (Volatile Organic Compounds) 24 value chain affiliates, and 10 associates. Volatile organic substances of different type Started in 2011, the ZDHC Programme aims and origin (eg hydrocarbons, paint solvents, to eliminate or substitute priority hazardous essential oils, etc.) which can contaminate the chemicals in products and their manufacture, environment by diffusing into the atmosphere apply a transparent screening process to pro- and affecting people’s health. mote and support safer chemistry, implement common tools, best practices and training that advance chemical stewardship. The coalition partners with stakeholders to promote W chemical use and discharge transparency. Zero waste Water footprint Design and manage products and process- Indicator of direct and indirect use of water es to systematically eliminate and reduce the in the production of a product or delivery of volume and toxicity of waste and materials, a service, in a lifecycle logic. The footprint is preserve and recover all resources.

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The Textile Solution Center Advisory Board is a panel of experts that meets within TSC and sets itself the objective of promoting awareness of digital textile printing through targeted initiatives.

The mission of the TSC Advisory Board is to identify and put forward activities and initiatives aimed at: • Analysing market trends in high quality textile and fashion printing; • Promoting the understanding, awareness, and spread of high quality digital textile printing; • Promoting the development of skills and research in the field of high quality digital textile printing.

With these aims, the TSC Advisory Board intends to work both through the promotion of events and initiatives in line with its mission and through the organisation of themed events such as exhibitions, conferences and round tables. These involve all the key players in the textile industry, from schools in the industry to designers, from the key industry players to brand owners, to textile retailers and to the sector press. There is a particular focus on analysis of the critical aspects and the environmental impact in the digital printing sector.

The members of the TSC Advisory Board

Fulvio Alvisi Angelo Marelli Associazione Italiana Disegnatori Tessili - AIDT For.Tex Salvatore Amura R oberto Peverelli Accademia di Belle Arti Aldo Galli – IED Como ISIS Paolo Carcano Como Gianluca Brenna Massimo Pizzocri Unindustria Como Epson Italia Alberto Cigada Annie Ratti Politecnico di Milano Fondazione Antonio Ratti Luigi Corti Riccardo Robustelli Consultant F.lli Robustelli Dario Garnero Pietro Roncoroni Sistema Moda Italia – SMI For.Tex Daniela Guerci Epson Italia

All the activities promoted by the TSC Advisory Board are described on the Centre’s website www.textilesolutioncenter.com

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Textile Solution Center is a hub dedicated to research, assistance, training and promotion of industrial textile digital printing. Founded as a joint venture between Epson and For.Tex, it combines the former’s inkjet technology and the latter’s experience in textile printing. Based on Epson’s inkjet printing solutions, TSC can support each step of the textile digital printing process, from pre-treatment to print to post-treatment. The Textile Solution Center Advisory Board actively promotes initiatives designed to inform and educate on the textile digital printing process. Among those initiatives is the series “Beyond the Silk Road. The Textile Industry in the Digital Printing Era”, first published in November 2015.

EpSON is a global innovation leader dedicated to exceeding expectations with solutions for markets as diverse as the office, home, commerce, industry and textile printing production. Epson’s lineup ranges from inkjet printers, printing systems and 3LCD projectors to industrial robots, smart glasses and sensing systems and is based on original compact, energy-saving, and high-precision technologies. Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 72,000 employees in 94 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contri- butions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates.

For.Tex was founded in 1986 and in June 2015 became part of Epson Italia. Since its foundation, the company has been able to establish itself as a reliable supplier for dyes, thickeners and printing specialties on the Italian market and has gradually strength- ened its expansion into foreign markets by constantly widening its product range. For.Tex is currently operating in 16 countries through an efficient sales and distribution network. In 2000, For.Tex was selected by Seiko Epson Corporation and Italian textile machinery producer F.lli Robustelli – which was acquired by Epson in July 2016 – as an official partner for the project Monna Lisa® and Genesta®, that led to the creation of the first digital printer for textiles.

F.lli Robustelli srl, located in Villa Guardia (Como, Italy), is a company 100% owned by Epson Italia. Operating since the 1950s, F.lli Robustelli has always designed and produced photogravure and textile printing machinery and systems. Thanks to an ongoing relationship with its clients and the ability to blend textile and mechanical knowhow with new digital technologies, F.lli. Robustelli has developed partnerships across the world. Over 15 years ago, F.lli Robustelli developed an important partnership with SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION that resulted in the MONNA LISA® project. For this project, the company product engineered the first digital textile printing machine on Epson print technology resulting in a product that is known in the textile industry as the best digital textile printer in the world and making of F.lli Robustelli one of the major players in the digital textile printing revolution.

FESpA Italia is an Italian association grouping together those companies working in the screen and specialist printing, as well as in the digital and textile printing. FESPA Italia provides its members with the resources they need to keep up with the evolution of the market and nurture their national and international competitiveness. The association focuses on building up expertise networks and on promoting an efficient use of the technology and of the processes for the creation, personalisation, production and use of special printed products. FESPA Italia is a member of FESPA, an international federation that includes 37 associations in as many nations in the world. Founded in 1962, FESPA provides its members with the opportunity of being part of a worldwide network of experts and sharing their successful experiences of this international platform.

000-TSC_Quaderno_003_EN-COVER.indd 3 15/11/17 11:02 Textile Solution Center Via Livescia 11 – 22073 Fino Mornasco (CO) Ph. +39 031 927988 – Fax +39 031 929688 www.textilesolutioncenter.it

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