WHY GREENDROP OF ITALY CHOOSE PIGMENTS AND GREEN TECHNOLOGY FROM EPSON - SMART DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING
The Greendrop Project – A new sustainable printing hub delivers eco-sustainable digital textile printing using smart technology. Choosing the right technology partner was an important factor from the beginning. “Many aspects are to be considered: innovation technology, industrial costs in relation to the possible market price, the environmental impact, the production capacity to understand which customers can be approached and, not least, the belief in the same project that will bring benefits to both companies.” Roberto Lucini - GREENDROP
Smart manufacturing is the “new normal.” The textile industry is working hard to replace the polluting printing methods of the past, and to transform its environmental credentials. It’s a new chapter. The traditional textile industry is witnessing a reinvention.
There are a number of reasons for this; the retail buyer needs to control inventory (stock) – moving to print on demand, consumers also seek instant gratification, and this has forced – lower minimum orders, faster delivery and product diversity.
But the biggest driver of change is the textile industry’s past history. Now exposed as the second largest polluter of our planet – consumers demand sustainability, and the conventional textile industry needs to clean up its legacy production processes and evolve.
There are many innovations with which we can improve the environmental impact of the textile industry – and one of the most important technologies in the supply chain is the digital textile printing sector where technologies are increasingly green, efficient and sustainable.
In Como, Italy, Roberto Lucini founder and CEO of Creazioni Digitali first saw the potential of digital technology in 2006 when he founded his digital textile printing company.
The first step was to use dye sublimation technology which was quick, efficient and remains a huge proportion of the marketplace printing onto synthetic fibres. Roberto’s team print over 2.5 million metres’ using this process each year from their 5000 sqm factory in Lurate Caccivio in the province of Como. With a staff of forty, the company continues in its quest for innovation and to secure their vision of the future - to supply sustainably sourced printed textile fabrics.
We asked Roberto Lucini to confirm if the marketplace has shifted to print on demand, and if CD has seen design diversity increase over the last few years and if so, how digital textile printing technology had enabled the business to service this demand?
“In comparison to the traditional printing route that is obliged to use cylinders or flat screens with a limit in the dimension, obviously digital printing allows us to manage a whole series of images, placements, reports of drawings in theory without limits. Every day we receive increasingly varied and complicated requests that we are proud to be able to meet.”
Roberto went further to confirm the key factors that are driving the demand for sustainably sourced and environmentally conscious printed textiles;
“As you know the textile Industry is the second in the world for pollution and finally - even the brands realized it and decided to do their part. Therefore, to limit pollution and water use, a series of specifications and associations have been created, such as the ZDHC, which have pushed textile companies to adapt. Some are doing it because obliged in order to stay in the supply chain, others, like CD, because they really believe in it. As proof of this I remind you that our company, already born as a digital printing company, started the first digital pigment trials in 2014, a type of printing that allows a big saving of water. At first no customers or competitors believed in the project - but time proved us right” - Roberto Lucini
The companies respect for the environment is at the core of their strategy. Sustainability has many facets; green technology, respect for human rights, the justification of industrial processes – are all factors that define eco-sustainability, and all are part of the “radical cultural change” that Roberto and his team see as the future of their company.
The GreenDrop Project – Smart digital printing.
In 2014 Creazioni Digitali created a research centre in collaboration with their innovative technology partners – with the intention to further explore pigment printing. In the traditional textile sector pigment inks dominate the marketplace and offer a window of opportunity for the print sector. When using digital technologies for pigments the process is waterless, there are no screens therefore saving precious resources when compared to conventional printing.
But perhaps the biggest advantage of pigments is that they bond with multi-fibre fabrics – this opens up access to many marketplaces with one process, and a simple workflow using just one ink set and one production process. It also removes the need for post-finishing. Pigment printed fabrics do not need to be washed after print – they are heat set – and ready for sale. Not only does this save a huge amount of water but also dramatically reduces the energy required.
The Greendrop project – A new sustainable printing hub for CD delivers eco-sustainable digital textile printing using smart technology. Choosing the right technology partner was an important factor from the beginning. In conversation we asked Roberto Lucini - When choosing a digital technology partner – what were the key factors that the machinery needed to provide?
“Many aspects are to be considered: innovation technology, industrial costs in relation to the possible market price, the environmental impact, the production capacity to understand which customers can be approached and, not least, the belief in the same project that will bring benefits to both companies.” Roberto confirmed.
In partnering with Epson – Roberto Lucini’s considered decision has leveraged the benefits of Epson’s extensive R&D program and the technological innovations provided by Robustelli’s digital textile machinery and For.Tex.
In 2003, Robustelli partnered with Epson to develop and manufacture a range of textile printers including the Monna Lisa range. Robustelli have a rich heritage in textiles and have been manufacturing textile printers since 1972 - their partnership with Epson began in 2003 and in 2016 Epson purchased the company.
Epson have also been working with For.Tex since 2003. The business was integral to the development of the Monna Lisa printer series and they continue to take care of ink sales and support. Renowned for their chemical knowledge and ink developments For.Tex, now owned by Epson, have pioneered a new generation of pigment inks (Genesta) that deliver an impressive colour gamut alongside printing stability. Epson took a 50% stake in For.Tex in 2012, acquiring the rest of the company in 2015.
We asked GreenDrop - What are the unique benefits of Epson’s Monna Lisa – and how have they increased your production and profitability?
“Apart from the good performance of the machine (never questioned), an extremely important aspect is the support of the Epson Research and Development Centre that has helped us to develop special recipes to meet the needs of customers” Roberto confirmed.
The next chapter for Creazioni Digitali and their new GreenDrop project marks an essential leap into the future and will open up many new opportunities. It sets a new paradigm – where sustainability and fabric printing go hand in hand with consumer demand. The use of pigment inks and their investment in Smart digital printing technologies will bring new business and further accelerate their commercial success.
The Interior Décor sector where pigment printing is a legacy ink set, is also evolving and has the same requirement for reduced stock, design diversity and eco-environmental production processes. Roberto explained why the Interior Décor marketplace is a sector that offers the company an opportunity for growth - “This market is very important because we have the possibility to test materials that go beyond traditional textiles. Of course, this involves a time of research and development, we put into account some failure, but it gives us a chance to increase our technical culture and visibility.”
