Phil McMullin, Pro Graphics Head of Sales, Epson (UK) here outlines expectations for this growing market.
The textile printing market is one of the digital production disciplines set to enjoy the biggest growth between now and 2026, says McMullin.
Expectations are in double digits according to Smithers’ The Future of Digital Textile Printing to 2026. It predicted a 13.9% CAGR increase in annual digital textile printed volume to 5.531 billion square meters.
A key driver of this market opportunity is digital inkjet’s powerful performance. It achieves significant advantages with its ability to deliver lower production costs and high quality, short run customization.
But that’s not all. In-market inkjet textile printing can help fashion brands shape and respond to robust environmental policies.
Producers keen to ensure environmental impact compliance can harness the benefits of the technology to meet laws, regulations, certifications and more demanding specifications from customers and the fashion industry. These include policies such as the Extended Producer Responsibility, which is effectively an environmental taxation on a product’s carbon footprint, along with the likes of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which sets clear goals relevant for the fashion industry from clean water, clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and life on land.
This is an increasingly important consideration when the fashion industry is trying to reduce the environmental impact its production has. An impact that produces 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply.
Exploring the development of more effective environmental processes and technologies is something Epson’s Total Textile Solution Center is focused on. The advanced facility based in Lake Como, Italy, develops, tests and researches textile solutions to help pioneer the digital textile printing process.
Epson also works together with innovators to develop market shaping solutions and enhance its proposition in textile printing.
One such development with F.lli Robustelli and For.Tex has resulted in the Monna Lisa digital direct-to-fabric textile printer that runs Genesta inks. F.lli Robustelli is behind the Monna Lisa technology while For.Tex developed the Genesta inks that are OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certified for digital fabric printing, Global Organic Textile Standard accredited for digital textile printing and Bluesign® approved for inkjet printing on fabric. Epson supports the complete offering with its unmatched experience in printing processes worldwide.
The high performance combination ensures quality, detail, brightness, and smoothness. It also delivers environmentally considerate production in terms of carbon footprint and water consumption. A study[1] comparing the Monna Lisa with a rotary press showed a 27% drop in water consumption for the digital process dramatically reducing the volume of wastewater sent to treatment plants and the amount of energy needed to heat process water. In terms of carbon footprint, the Monna Lisa system generates 40% less CO²eq.
There are many sustainable choices offered by the Monna Lisa solution, as well as Epson’s other digital direct to fabric printing technologies. Discover more about how they can be quickly implemented to help fashion brands change their approach to one that effectively addresses raw material consumption, intelligent volume production and reduced waste.