Today, there are already plenty of t-shirt printing companies on the market. With the tight competition, you might want to do something to make your business stand out from the crowd.

Aside from developing the most creative designs, being eco-friendly might be your next best decision. This way, you’re not only improving your sales but also helping to save the environment.

Unfortunately, the world isn’t getting healthier by the minute. To take part in saving the world and still allow your business to be profitable, consider switching to a custom eco-friendly t-shirt printing company.

To help you out, listed below are some of the best practices to build an eco-friendly custom T-shirt printing company:

Use Organic T-Shirts 

An excellent way for you to allow your custom T-shirt printing company to be eco-friendly is by using organic T-shirts, such as from Printful or other similar businesses. Your business’s primary material would be T-shirts.

While they might look harmless, they can contribute to the added carbon footprint. It is because the materials for a regular T-shirt aren’t sustainable and use non-eco-friendly materials to produce them.

Using standard T-shirt materials can harm the world, even if they’re quick to make and source. To be a better friend to the environment, you should use an organic T-shirt for your custom T-shirt printing services.

Organic cotton production uses less energy and water and releases fewer greenhouse gases than standard fabrics. It also doesn’t use chemicals or fertilizers, making them highly sustainable.

This way, you can provide your customers with their desired design while helping them to be more eco-friendly.

Switch To Recycled Materials 

Another alternative to using organic cotton is using recycled materials for your T-shirt. This process is one of the best ways to be eco-friendly since you’re not producing more products but utilizing what’s already present.

Not only do you reduce rubbish and harmful elements, but you also make them valuable in your business. When switching to recycled materials for your T-shirts, you should know they’re comfortable to touch and won’t even feel rough or recycled.

With this method, you’ll be using materials like polyethylene terephthalate, known as PET, which is found on most packaging. As a result, you reduce their production and allow them to be something more. Alternatively, you can use materials that use a combination of organic cotton and recycled materials to maximize quality.

Use The Right Ink for the T-shirts

Of course, you need to use ink to print your T-shirts. While there are plenty of ways to add print to fabric, going for the silkscreen process would be the best option as they’re efficient and produce less harm to the environment.

However, even with this case, the standard inks might not be eco-friendly enough as you need to clean them, forcing you to bring them out into the environment. With that, you should use organic ink for your silk screen process.

Using organic ink is eco-friendlier as it won’t harm the environment when you need to wash them off your screen. You’ll be using sustainable materials and ingredients which are great for the environment.

Alternatively, you can use 100% phthalate-free ink, which allows you to reuse your ink repeatedly. This way, you’re not exposing the environment to harmful waste and get the most out of your ink.

Implement Eco-Friendly Packaging 

As you sell your products, you need to pack them well for your customer. It will help to improve your company’s branding, keep your products well-secured, and allow your customers to receive their purchases in their best condition.

While that’s the case, you should be careful with what kind of packaging your company uses, as even the smallest detail can impact the environment. With that, you should also implement eco-friendly packaging for your business.

If you’re planning to sell in retail, consider using paper bags for your packaging. However, if you’re selling your custom T-shirts online, you should wrap them around with tissue paper and use kraft tape or stickers to seal the wrapper.

If you have control over the pouch, try to use a biodegradable one or switch to a box to be more eco-friendly. You don’t have to worry about cushioning, as T-shirts aren’t fragile, making you skip any bubble wraps and foam peanuts.

Practice Zero Waste for T-shirts Printing 

Practicing zero waste to reduce your carbon footprint is essential for your T-shirt printing business. With this practice, you can allow your business to be eco-friendly without having to emphasize them to your customers. It makes you more authentic as you do them behind the scenes.

To practice zero waste for your business, you can reduce your paper supply by switching to all digital. You can even use 100% phthalate-free ink, so you don’t have to worry about washing or putting any excess ink away, as you can use it up to the very last drop.

Moreover, encourage reusing resources until they’re still functional in your office. It can include using water bottles or switching to washable microfiber cloth to clean your offices.

Donate To Eco-Friendly Organization 

Another way you can be earth-friendly even outside work is by donating part of your profits to an eco-friendly organization. This way, you can extend your help by supporting organizations whose goal is to help make the world a better place to live.

With this, you’re not only allowing your products to be beneficial to the environment, but you’re also helping organizations make significant changes to the world.

Depending on your profits, you can donate 1-10% of your income to an eco-friendly organization.

Takeaway 

Establishing a custom eco-friendly T-shirt printing company can be difficult as there are plenty of things you must keep in mind. You need to see if every material you use is eco-friendly, as one small thing can significantly impact the environment.

While there are more things to consider and implement, helping the world to be a healthier place would surely help to put you in a great mood and allow the future to be better.