LOW IMPACT DIGITAL PRINTING: AN INTERVIEW WITH HOUSE OF U
Colour and bold prints are quintessential to the fashion experience for many. They can be linked closely to identity and personality, though to achieve these bold colours, harsh chemistry is still widely used. According to a report from The World Bank, an estimated 17-20% of industrial water pollution comes solely from textile dyeing and fabric finishing treatments. This highlights the imperative that phasing out harmful chemicals is crucial to reducing the overall impact of our industry.
House of U, a digital textile printing company based in the Netherlands, have been working to tackle their chemical, water, and energy impacts, next to offering a wide range of sustainable materials to print on. The print house helps clients achieve rich and deep colours by using certified inks on a wide range of beautiful sustainable fabrics. They have, for example, GRS-certified recycled polyester, organic cottons, and lyocell fibres in their selection. With an online platform and digital colour management, House of U offers designers creative freedom to complete their high-quality prints.
- Can you provide a brief outline of your services, and what key aspects make them more sustainable than a conventional print houses?
House of U is a digital Textile Printing House with a strong focus on product development and sustainable Fabrics which are offered via an online platform. The key sustainability aspects within House of U are the seen through the Printing Process, the Fabric Portfolio and our online platform at www.houseofu.com.
We work with 100% Digital Printing, have an optimised finishing process with minimum water consumption throughout, and we develop new sustainable fabrics every year. Our customers can upload their designs online, pick the fabric of their choice and order without any minimum order quantity – from just 1 meter per fabric.
- Can you tell us more about your certified, low impact printing process?
The company’s processes and methods consist of pre-treatment, printing, and the finishing of the materials. Our digital printing method reduces water consumption by 70%, in comparison to screen printing. All inks used in the printing process of natural fibres (such as for example organic cotton linen or TENCEL™ Lyocell) are GOTS certified, water-based inks. This applies to all chemistry we use in the pretreatment of the fabrics (coating) and in the post treatment (after printing) and meets following standards:
- Bluesign®
- STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
We aim for our whole print system to be entirely GOTS certified by 2021.
Regarding our recycled synthetic materials, our GOTS certificate does not apply since we are not printing on organic fibres and we are using sublimation printing. We have therefore carefully chosen a reliable partner that carries the ECO Oeko-Tex Passport Certification.
Additionally, we are currently investing in efficient machinery to salvage water, and we are aiming to decrease carbon emissions by investing in new washing & finishing technologies.
- How can fashion have a positive impact on nature and communities?
We are committed to contributing a positive impact on nature and communities through the digital printing process of our inks and our fabrics by using organic cotton, certified recycled polyester fabrics, as well as fabrics with Lenzing™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose fibres and TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres. Additionally, we also provide a service where there is no minimum order quantity, which helps to lower the environmental impact of fabric waste.
- What are your goals and plans moving forward?
Our plans on moving forward are to expand our online platform through to the European market and stock more sustainable fabrics for our customers for every season. Additionally, we aim to optimize our print house to make all of our processes more sustainable. Taking all of this into account, we believe that we can contribute to a better world for fashion.
Discover House of U on the Future Fabrics Virtual Expo.
