Impressions - September 2014 - 42

Embroidery machines use little power and no chemicals. One exception is appliqué, which requires
some form of adhesive in the process.

Before you

stick your neck out and start promoting any product as
"green, do enough research to feel comfortable about the overall scope of
"
the product in regard to its impact on the environment.
The key is to get as many details as possible in order to get a look at
the "big green picture. You should: Learn The Lingo, Dig Deeper and Seek
"
Certiﬁcation.

Learn The Lingo - The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the use
of "organic" on food packaging, while the FTC has set out speciﬁc guidelines
for items labeled as "recycled. However, regulation pretty much stops there.
"
Terms such as "natural, "cruelty-free" and "nontoxic" have no standard
"
deﬁnition, guaranteeing very little when found in advertising, according to a
source. Before you shop, check out common label language using Consumer
Reports' free eco-label tool to see which words are worth looking for.
Dig Deeper - Many of the most important environmental innovations are

happening behind the scenes and may not be touted on product packaging.
Check corporate websites for new initiatives that may make an impact.
Anheuser-Busch, for example, has repeatedly redesigned its beer cans since
the mid-1960s to use less aluminum. Considering that aluminum production
is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, the innovation carries
considerable clout. But they're not going to put a Green Seal on Beck's or Bud.

Seek Certification - Just because a government organization such as
the FTC does not have published green standards doesn't mean that certain
organizations don't. When shopping for new products, look for certiﬁcation
seals from a reputable, independent third-party organization. Their logos
guarantee that the product bearing such seals meets their set standards,
with ongoing reviews to ensure compliance. Be wary of "certiﬁcation"
provided by the company itself, or by its afﬁliates. Here are a few groups
that deal with fabric and apparel:
* Organic Trade Association (ota.com)
* The National Organic Standards Board (ams.usda.gov/nosb)
* Sustainable Cotton Project (sustainablecotton.org)
* Hemp Industries Association (thehia.org)
42

Impressions | September 2014

to extract, manufacture and process
and can pollute environments exposed to them
* High energy usage, which is the energy
required to carry out the production
processes
Eco-friendly dyeing, printing and tanning methods focus on reducing the
environmental impact in one or more of
those categories.
Finishes used on textiles can be wet
or dry. Wet involves chemicals applied to
fabric and dry being those applied mechanically. Dry ﬁnishes generally are considered
environmentally preferable and consumer
friendly as they use machinery and heat
rather than chemicals. However, there are
some eco-friendly wet ﬁnishes, which are
increasing in availability, such as enzymatic
treatments. Other wet ﬁnishes, such as
antimicrobial and stain resistant, can be
beneﬁcial to the sustainability of a garment,
as they reduce the need for laundering.
This conserves water and energy and reduces the amount of chemicals released to
the environment.

DECORATING PROCESSES
One of the few areas where apparel decorators have any control on creation of green
products is in the application of graphics.
Many advances have been made in this area
and it pays to understand how the processes
you use can affect the environment.
SCREEN PRINTING: Traditional plastisol used for screen printing is made from
PVC and phthalate plasticizer. However,
many of the newer inks are water-based or
plastisol that is formulated with no phthalates or PVC. The quality is similar in printability to conventional inks and, in some
cases, PVC-free inks have a softer hand.
One downside for screen printing
production, regardless of ink type, is the
amount of energy consumed in the curing process. Industrial drying units are
required to permanently cure the inks used
in the printing process and they use large
amounts of power, either electrical or gas.
DIRECT-TO-GARMENT PRINTING
(DTG): A typical DTG printer prints images directly to the apparel using inkjet technology. Water-based ink that is PVC-free and
non-phthalate is available for most units.
The process requires little energy and you
can recycle the cartridges with some brands.
One area to be aware of is that most
DTG inks are designed for cotton products. To use them on poly products, a
bonding chemical must be applied to the
impressionsmag.com

http://www.ota.com http://ams.usda.gov/nosb http://www.sustainablecotton.org http://www.thehia.org http://www.impressionsmag.com

Impressions - September 2014

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