Green Shop Tour

The president of this major U.S.-based contract printer shares his common-sense approach to eco-conscious business and production processes. October 02, 2009
By Tom Davenport, Contributing Writer

Motion Co. started in the late '90s using common-sense procedures that naturally evolved into green production processes.

Ten years doesn’t seem like such a long time ago, but, in a way, it was. In 1998, “being green” wasn’t a consideration for the typical screen printer — whether small volume or larger. For some, it still isn’t.

Being a green shop wasn’t a specific goal when we founded Motion Co. Early on, our focus was to use common-sense production practices. And it turns out that using common sense is exactly what being green is all about.

Today, Motion’s priority is to implement sustainable practices and promote a company-wide ethic of ecological responsibility. We call it “eco-conscious printing” and it happens at every stage in the process — and in every department.

Maybe that’s the best way to explore this. Let’s take a virtual tour of the shop and see how common sense is the foundation of eco-conscious printing:

Waste Not
We knew from the start not to dump gallons of old or mixed inks in the trash. Our first solution to the problem of waste removal was to store it until we could properly dispose of it. However, in 2002 we contracted with Safety Kleen, a service that picks up and properly disposes of waste inks and aqueous chemicals.

As we grew, being conscious of our impact on the environment began to influence our decisions about the products we used. We chose Safety Kleen recirculation equipment and aqueous solution for cleaning flood bars, squeegees and other tools, and installed a device in the washout booths to filter wastewater.

We try to ensure that no emulsions or solvents go down the drains, even though we use drain-safe, citrus-based solvents as opposed to petroleum-based mineral spirits. Citrus-based solvents have a lower flash point, so they’re safer to work with, especially in hot climates like the one we’re in. They have an overall lower toxicity than mineral spirits by inhalation, which helps when working in enclosed area. And finally, mineral spirits are a severe skin irritant; the worst citrus will do is dry out your skin.

There’s no better source for ensuring you’re using the right chemicals than your local fire department. Our local inspector reviewed our MSDS (material safety data sheets), our chemicals and made sure we used non-hazardous materials. 

We also were lucky to be able to work with the City of West Sacramento. The city’s waste management people developed a comprehensive recycling and training program for our employees, educating us on what happens to all the waste we were generating — paper, cans, bottles and other materials. The key to becoming part of a larger recycling effort is to sort and prepare refuse properly for the private recycling companies. If you do your part, they can do theirs with more efficiency. That way, everyone saves.

Office, Art and Packaging
In the office area, we were determined from the start to save costs and paper by eliminating work proofs for most orders, using e-mail, online proofing and e-invoicing instead of faxes and mail. Obviously, e-mail also cuts down on the cost of printer consumables and paper.

In the art department, we invested in new, cleaner screen making technology. We went to a water-soluble, wax-based, computer-to-screen (CTS) imaging system, eliminating the use of film positives and imaging chemicals. We’re not using a traditional image setter, which means no chemicals or yards of film, which eventually get thrown away.

Finally, because garment decorators take in a lot of cardboard and corrugated boxes from manufacturers, distributors and even customers, we recycle these through contracts with the private recycling company. We don’t re-use them, however. Instead, we use post-consumer recycled content packaging products. In other words, new boxes made from recycled products. The effect is cleaner, neater and more professional.  We’re also working with a manufacturer to use biodegradable polybags — currently ours are recyclable only.

At the Press
One of the big things we did early on was reduce our use of aerosols by more than 95% just by switching to a water-based pallet adhesive.  For years, everyone was using aerosol adhesives to secure the shirt to the pallet. It was common practice, and I don’t like to think of all the millions of shirts we all have printed over those years, and the amount of chemicals released into the environment as a result. Well, we know better now.

And the great thing is that we’ve discovered that most eco-sustainable practices are not just eco-friendly, but people-friendly. The new water-based pallet adhesive eliminates the headaches screen printers suffered from inhaling aerosol overspray and the sticky residue we were coated with after a day of spraying pallets.  Also, the practice is more cost-efficient: Unlike aerosols, and depending on the intensity of the production day, this pallet adhesive can be applied just once or twice a shift.

Ink
We are often asked if we offer green printing through the use of eco-friendly inks. This is a tricky question because ink choice is critical to how certifiably green or eco-friendly a shop can be, yet there is no one ink that works for every job.

Choosing the most environmentally sustainable ink system for each job depends on common-sense and an understanding of your materials, customer needs and the artistic effects and print finish (hand) you want to produce. In every department, eco-conscious printing requires us to look at how the products are produced and what their effect is on the business, the employees and the environment.

Probably our most expressly green decision has been to implement the use of Claira Environmental plastisol inks from Rutland Plastic Technologies. 
While the cost to set up a new system and eliminate old inventory may seem high, we view it as an investment and believe ROI will be realized through increased print quality and performance. We’re seeing improvements in color clarity, viscosity and finish. Our printers report better sheering ability, which turns into increased printing speeds.

Before letting go of traditional plastisols, I did a lot of research on the new environmentally friendly ink systems of all major manufacturers and advise other decorators to do the same. It’s probably advisable to stick with your current supplier — that will make the transition much smoother. We have enjoyed a long relationship with Rutland and understood their software, which wasn’t changing. Overall, the less impact you have to suffer, the better.

(Note on costs: Don’t assume the increased costs will be as high as you are quoted. We were told to expect as much as 25%, but it’s actually been far less. This is due to the fact that the majority of the increase in ink costs is in the less commonly used mixing concentrates. The majority of the concentrates we use did not increase at all. Overall, our increase has averaged 10%.)

The Eco-Myth of Water-Based Ink
There’s a never-ending debate over the eco-friendly benefits of water-based printing inks in the industry. The common belief that using water-based inks equates to green printing simply isn’t true. Most printers know this, but often customers do not.

What matters are the production processes of the decorator. If using water-based inks is the only ecologically sound practice the printer is engaged in, he’s not green. Also, remember that while water is the main solvent in water-based inks, co-solvents (some of which are petroleum-based) are added to reduce drying time and aid curing. This means the printer who espouses water-based inks must be just as careful in his waste removal as the printer using plastisols. In fact, there’s a good argument that water-based inks generate more waste than traditional plastisol inks due to the reduced shelf life.

We currently are working with a leading ink manufacturer to implement a next-generation, eco-friendly ink system. These inks are certified as phthalate- and PVC-free and conform to CPSIA standards. [Editor’s Note: For more on CPSIA, go to ecoImpressions Spring 2009 issue at [www.impressions-digital.com/impressions/ecoimpressions2009spring]. Next-generation, eco-friendly inks have many benefits, including improved eco-friendly properties, increased shelf life and print characteristics that match or better traditional plastisol inks.

In the Showroom
Determining just how “organic” a fabric is really is the crux of greening up the showroom. Take care when you say a shirt is organically produced or “green.” You need to know where the shirt or fabric was produced, the facility and its practices. Shirts manufactured under sweat shop conditions are not eco-friendly.

Visit global-standard.org for more information about what constitutes a 100% organic T-shirt. You will discover that if your vendor offers GOTS-certified garments, you can rely on that standard.

As contract printers, we have little say about the fabric content of the garments our customers choose. However, we are working on bringing out a line of organic and reasonably priced fashion T-shirts, which we feel we can give our customers a choice.

Latest Regulations
I think the simplest way to respond to new and stricter government regulations is to lead the way. Our decision to move to phthalate-free plastisol in advance of the CPSIA regulation was a response to what I could see coming just by keeping up with industry news.

Developing an eco-conscious business will take you through every department in your shop, and it won’t end at the door. For us, the next step is to complete the application process for SGP verification through the newly created Sustainable Green Printing Partnership.

I’m also active in SGIA, and belong to its Garment Decorator’s Steering Committee, which provides an opportunity for the industry’s top decorators, suppliers and equipment manufacturers to discuss current industry issues, including sustainable printing practices. I believe we need a certification process — in addition to SGP — specifically for textile screen printers and decorators. Essentially, it would be a stamp of approval from the industry. Such a process would help to educate distributors, end users and garment decorators in ways that legislation never will.

For more information about Motion Co., visit motioncompany.com. To comment on this article, e-mail Tom at tom@motioncompany.com.


Company Snapshot
Tom Davenport grew up in Northern California where, still in high school, he fetched up at a screen printing shop with manual presses and learned to love the mix of art, craft and science that sucks so many into the garment decorating world.

“For the teen years, doing rock-and-roll T-shirts is the initial draw,” says Davenport, who would name his company after the T. Rex song “Mr. Motion.” “I liked that it was a craft and had some artistic element to it — at least at first. Now, no matter how technically advanced we get, screen printing is still a craft. Every job has new challenges either with the business, the process or the art. And that’s what separates us from an offset shop where things are more scientific.”

Like many screen printers, Davenport learned his trade by working for a lot of shop owners, including the one in Sacramento who, with almost zero experience in the industry, went belly up in two short years. “So I bought a manual press and just enough equipment to get started in a small warehouse and I’ve been at it ever since,” he says.

“Just enough” is a virtue peculiar to veteran business owners. And it makes sense. In fact, simple common sense is the abiding rule for Davenport, and it’s an ethic that’s served him well when establishing the screen printing business that would one day become an example for ecologically sound decorating practices.

 

— Alicia Griswold is a former managing editor for Impressions magazine. To comment on this article, e-mail Alicia at agriswold@me.com.



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