The Shifting Sands of Sustainability

Everybody in the industry is talking about the massive environmental impact of textile and print waste. You’d be hard-pressed to find a shop, manufacturer, or any business that hasn’t at least had the “sustainability talk” with employees, co-workers, customers, or even peers. At first, it was a tiny whisper, but what was once just a passing conversation is now a loud, alarming bell. 

And if you think your business can ignore it, think again. 

Behind the loud drumbeat are real numbers that indicate a problem:

• The world produces 92 million tons of textile waste every year.
• Clothing and textiles currently comprise at least 7% of the total waste in global landfill space.
• Only 1% of clothes will get recycled into new garments.

That data should be enough to convince anyone in the apparel space about the need for change. But if that isn’t enough to compel you to take action, you should know there’s been a recent wave of legislation and laws being implemented globally that will force change. 

Like it or not, the call for sustainable action is happening, and for those working within the industry, this will affect your business — if it hasn’t already. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Using current resources and leveraging the advice of experts working in the trenches, decorators don’t need to fear change. Your shop can get on board and reap the benefits of being eco-friendly.

A Look at Legislation

Let’s dissect some of the existing legislation in the United States. Understanding the world of regulations is crucial, even when certain legislation doesn’t pass.

“There are several reasons why tracking and understanding all the proposed and final legislation addressing sustainability is crucial,” believes Gary Jones, vice president of environmental, health, and safety affairs for PRINTING United Alliance. Legislation impacts a business in many ways, from reporting and sourcing to making physical changes to their shop. 

“For example,” says Jones, “the recent legislation passed last year in California requires companies that are claiming they are offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions, aka carbon footprint, to post information on their web page describing how they are achieving it and which companies they are working with to offset their emissions.” Those affected by this law have likely begun making changes; those not affected by it should keep an eye out as similar laws could make their way into more states and cities.

But there’s more. “Some of the legislation directed at ‘toxic’ chemicals such as inadvertent PCBs in some pigments, carbon black, mineral oil, per fluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) along with other chemicals can cause problems with the ability of ink manufacturers to formulate inks,” Jones states. “In turn, printing operations will not be able to produce the products requested by their customers. While many of these bans on toxic chemicals are occurring at the state level, as more states put them in place, they essentially become a national ban.” Even though many of these laws have failed, they are creating noise.

There’s also been a lot of noise in the extended producer responsibility (EPR) arena. “Any new laws like EPR would greatly affect the printing industry,” says Ryan Schraffenberger, Promotions Guy’s owner and sustainability advocate. In a nutshell, EPR is a policy or regulation that assigns producers responsibility for products’ end-of-life. This can include both financial and operational responsibility.   

“My first recommendation to all decorators is to make sure every decision you take, related to the products you use, equipment you buy, processes you use, and every other aspect of your business, is well informed and viewed under a lens of competitive advantage as opposed to increased costs.”

—BELL

For those thinking they don’t fall in this category, think again. In some situations, depending on the wording of an EPR proposal, decorators could be defined as “producers.” 

Then, there are all the other sustainably focused regulations, such as those affecting human rights and the supply chain. “There really is a broad spectrum to the current realm of announced regulatory changes that will impact our industry,” explains Garry Bell, Chasing Better Consultants Inc. and consultant to the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “Some are focused on forced labor, some are focused on the environmental safety of inputs into the products, while many are focused to make sure consumers are not misled by what is presented to them.”

The pressure to change isn’t just coming from the government. Consumers are joining the conversation in a loud way. 

“We are also experiencing a demographic shift in the population,” Jones says. “Those that are part of Generation Z, born between mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s, are playing a larger role in society as they mature and become part of the consuming public and workforce. While there has been a lot written about this demographic, one key aspect is that they have internalized their concern for the environment and are making purchasing and career decisions based on their commitment to protecting the environment.”  

Reality Check

Change is good, and in this case, change is needed, but making that a reality is easier said than done. On paper, many of these regulations and proposals sound great, but implementing them is another story.

“In many instances, legislation is well-intended, but experience has shown that well-intended legislation does not necessarily solve the problem it is intended to address,” Jones says. “What is concerning with the new legislation is that in many instances it does not work or fix the problem. Because initial legislation is usually not carefully crafted … we will see additional legislation designed to address the problem that the initial one created.”

He points to EPR laws as an example.  “EPR legislation is designed to increase the recycling rates for covered packaging by charging a fee on the producer or those placing the product into the market,” Jones says. “However, the EPR fees are only being used to subsidize the collection of materials, not the actual recycling of them as no funding is directed toward building the infrastructure necessary to process the materials being collected. In addition, the funding also is used to pay for a new bureaucracy designed to manage the program and reimburse the state for their time and resources.”

In that sense, what we need to realize is that many of these rules and regulations are still in their infancy, Bell says. “We need to say that many of these initiatives are in development/testing/pilot mode and will undoubtedly be altered to make them more realistic and achievable, possibly with phased-in requirements,” he states. 

Real Changes That Can be Made 

Not only can the current and potential effects feel overwhelming, it’s also easy to focus on the negative implications. But what many experts caution decorators to keep in mind is a) these changes don’t happen overnight; and b) there are plenty of resources available to help.

“While the textile and apparel industry may be feeling like some of these new requirements are very exhaustive and challenging, it’s important to acknowledge that other industries (e.g. , pharma, food, electronics) are already meeting many of these burdens,” Bell says. “Our industry has historically been largely unregulated and lightly scrutinized in the past. We are seeing, as well, the confluence of increased digitization of commerce, enhanced traceability technology solutions, and whether we like it or not, a new generation of consumers that are increasingly not accepting the former status quo.”

Realistically, there will be challenges surrounding this, as Jones notes. Higher costs associated with making changes to the physical footprint of a shop, in addition to increased prices to cover potential EPR costs, can be tough for both small and large decorators.

“At this point very few people in the industry are doing anything toward sustainability,” Schraffenberger says. “I have visited about 300 screen-printing shops in the last six months, and the consensus is that screen printers are just trying to get by. The margins are thinning because people don’t want to pay as much.”

However, there are positives to the changing regulations, and shops can start making small changes now that won’t break the bank. “My first recommendation is to make sure every decision you take, related to the products you use, equipment you buy, processes you use, and every other aspect of your business, is well informed and viewed under a lens of competitive advantage as opposed to increased costs,” Bell advises.

In the end, it may not be up to you. If and when the law requires your shop to change, Schraffenberger says it’s better to be prepared. Not only does it make good business sense, it makes good human sense. “These are things that we are going to have to deal with at some point,” he says. “This is good news. It won’t seem like it at first, especially to those shops that are not taking the proper precautions right now. My recommendation would be to start doing things correctly: Use and dispose of the inks and chemicals properly today and you don’t be inconvenienced when it’s mandated.”

When it comes to sustainability, these laws have become crucial turning points that must happen for real change to take place. Some laws have failed and fizzled; some, while leaning in the right direction, were unrealistic to implement; and some became laws. And like it or not, apparel decorators and textile printers will be forced to comply with more eco-friendly laws in the future.

Compounding the problem is greenwashing, which is detrimental in many ways. As companies struggle to implement real action into their practices, some have failed and even been called out. Unfortunately, the call to change wasteful practices has also put the spotlight on companies that are not doing anything despite public claims that they are.

According to Sara Osorio, environmental, health, and safety affairs coordinator for PRINTING United Alliance, there are some anti-greenwashing laws surfacing in the U.S. “The legislation and regulations help level the playing field when companies want to make claims about their operation or the products they produce,” she explains. “They establish the baseline from which a claim can be made about a product or process.”

Bell notes that sometimes these laws can inadvertently cause backpedaling and greenwashing scenarios. “As a result of the risks associated with being offside to these laws, we sadly see companies pulling back sustainability marketing while they build the capacity to be compliant,” he notes. 

The Real Challenges

It’s a Catch-22 if ever there was one, and therein lies the challenge for many printers. Not only are many hesitant to make the leap into sustainability for reasons such as physical costs and new training, but some are afraid of being penalized when they aren’t compliant, whether on purpose or by accident.

It’s not an unfounded fear. “Enforcement of companies that are perceived to be ‘greenwashing’ has increased over the past several years, with thousands of lawsuits being brought in the U.S. and across the world,” Osorio notes. Despite being mostly aimed at large retailers in the fashion and textile space, she does state that decorators aren’t immune.

“There are two areas of concern for decorators,” Osorio says. “The first is the claims that they want to make about their company’s operations and those that will be made by their customer. The customer is going to expect that their [decorators] provide them accurate information about the products and services they are purchasing from them. Inaccurate or misleading information can be troublesome for individual decorators and their customers. Companies will have to undertake due diligence to confirm and support any environmental claim.”

Despite that looming threat of punishment, greenwashing shouldn’t scare shops so much so that they do nothing. Bell says that, like implementing basic sustainable strategies, it all comes down to research and action.

“Greenwashing is dangerous, and a lot of companies do it, as being a green company is really difficult, especially in an industry as wasteful as the print and apparel industry."
—Ryan Schraffenberger, owner of Promotions Guy and sustainability advocate.

He encourages shops to first understand greenwashing. “Generally, it refers to being truthful and accurate in the things you say about your business and products you sell,” he explains. “One way to think of it is to not say anything outwardly that you are not able to and/or willing to prove.”

Sometimes, it’s simpler than you think. Maybe even as simple as networking. “Pay attention to new trends and watch what other shops are doing,” Schraffenberger suggests. “This is an industry full of creatives that want to learn; don’t be afraid to ask for help and to help others.”

To really cover your bases, Osorio says, turn to the numbers. “Having metrics that are based on supporting data (e.g., gas purchases, electricity consumption, etc.) are the gold standard,” she says. “Companies need to conduct due diligence on any claims provided to them by outside parties such as carbon reductions
or offsets.”

That point is also applicable to the blanks side of things. “From a product perspective, request copies of certifications, listings, and other supporting documentation that demonstrates the claim is legitimate,” Osorio advises. “In addition, the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Green Guides are a great resource for any company that wants to market their sustainable efforts.”

In the end, it takes effort, but as the cool kids say, you have to work for anything worth having.