In 2015 I wrote an internal document about a sustainability programme that I felt was important to create for our print shop. It was a document that focussed on the 2015-2017 biennium and on what was my goal, to turn our company into a slightly more environmentally sustainable textile printing company.
Below I list this document in its entirety, adding some points and updates in red.
SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMME MAUDLIN MERCHANDISE
2015-2017
The textile processing industry is extremely polluting and has a much higher waste rate than normal. Just think of something as simple as a roll of print transfers. More than 70 per cent of the material used (plastic) will be turned into waste immediately after production. All the inks used in screen printing are also plastic-based. The chemicals used (most of them extremely harmful) are then wasted and thrown into the public network. In direct printing we also use a lot of siliconised paper. There's no production we do that doesn't create a lot of waste.
It's normal that in our day-to-day work we don't realise how much waste we make and how much pollution we put into the environment, but if we stop for a few minutes and look around, we can easily see that we're not making a positive contribution to maintaining our planet. The Earth is sick and more and more of us are contributing negatively to its condition.
From CO2 emissions to waste and chemicals used in production, all our work is extremely polluting.
Fortunately, we can do something to minimise our environmental footprint and Maudlin Merchandise can and should become an exemplary company in this field. It's not too difficult and it's in our hands to reverse this path. We know that we will never have as big an impact as we would like on reversing pollution on our planet, but I believe that if we can all do our bit, however small, we will be able to reverse the trend.
Our medium/long-term goal is to reduce our CO2 emissions by 35 per cent, while also reducing our (non-recyclable) waste by 80 per cent.
To achieve this goal we have a lot of work to do. We don't expect to be able to do it overnight, after all, a programme like this always has to be thought of in the long term and broken down into smaller, more manageable objectives. The important thing is that we all do our bit.
This programme may seem difficult and an addition to our - already chaotic - day, but something as simple as switching off computers at the end of the day or not having the lights on while we have direct sunlight will make a difference at the end of the year.
There are a few simple ways to achieve our goal. We can start the project with something as simple as recycling rubbish, reducing energy consumption in the company or reusing paper.
The year with the most and biggest changes in terms of tools and processes will be 2015. Starting from point "0", this is the phase in which we manage to divide up and improve the greatest number of processes. This is where we lay the foundations for the company's coming years and where we will be able to gain the habits we need for a slightly greener future.
CONCRETE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN
2015
First phase of waste separation and recycling.
We have coloured containers for separating paper and plastic in the production area. These containers are placed between screen printing production and flex/DTG production and should be used by all production colleagues.
This rubbish will be collected for recycling on a regular basis. Our long-term goal is to recycle 80 per cent of our waste, by separating 95 per cent of flex and direct printing waste and 70 per cent of screen printing waste.
In later stages we will look at ways of recycling other materials such as textiles, leftover paint, chemicals, etc.
We currently have bins for separating paper and plastic at the company entrance, which are emptied for recycling every week. We also have sorting bins in the kitchen to balance out the rubbish sorting a bit more. Any boxes that are not in good condition are also flattened and recycled. We haven't yet implemented recycling in direct printing and flex, although we have reduced waste in direct printing by 98 per cent by changing the paper.
Use of chemicals that are less harmful to health and the environment
We are in the process of testing and replacing the current chemicals used to clean and wash cabinets with chemicals that have natural components and a neutral odour and effect on our employees and the environment. The aim is to use chemicals based on soya or another natural product.
Our medium-term goal is to completely eliminate and replace paint thinner and any chemical that contains symbols and warnings that are harmful to the health of our employees and the environment.
Currently 99 per cent of the detergents and "chemicals" we use are environmentally friendly and not harmful to our employees. None of them have symbols or warnings that are harmful to health or the environment, and they are all ecological detergents. There is only one exception that we are still looking for a replacement for.
Replacing the glue used
Replacing aerosol spray glue with liquid glue in a bucket probably offers the biggest "saving" for the environment. We've gone from using harmful aerosols whose glue enters the respiratory tract to using water-based glues, which are much more environmentally friendly and have the advantage of not needing as many uses to have the same (or better) effect.
This was one of the first steps we took and we've never looked back. Not only was it a huge financial saving, it was also positive for the environment INSIDE and OUTSIDE the company. Although it takes a little longer from time to time, the planet has clearly won and so has our health.
2016
Second phase of waste separation and recycling.
After using containers to separate waste in production, we are also moving towards separating waste recorded in the office. Printed paper, bottles and other items that we use a lot in the office should start to be sorted. By now there should also be smaller containers for dividing up these items.
This is a step that has not yet been taken but will be very soon. We are starting by destroying all paper documents in order to recycle them better. We're looking for a solution for the bottles as it seems they can't be recycled in the same way as normal plastic.
Purchase of filter for washing tank
By filtering the water from the screen washing tank, we are able to reduce the solids (emulsion and chemicals) that pass into the public sewer by 99 per cent. We prevent not only our plumbing from clogging up, but also the contamination of the public network with chemicals that are harmful to our health.
Project to be developed and implemented right now, in 2018. When applied, and despite the fact that we already use environmentally friendly chemicals, we reduce the impurities we pour into the public sewer by up to 5 microns, making the water from washing frames viable for reuse and even drinking if necessary.
2017
Installation of solar panels // Renewable Energies
Purchase and installation of solar panels as a way of reducing energy dependency by at least 25 per cent. Advantage of being a clean and self-sustaining form of energy.
Although it wasn't in 2017, we have now finished installing a few dozen solar panels. This, together with a change we'll be making soon, will leave us totally independent of the public network during the summer and 50 to 75 per cent independent during the winter.
Something we quickly learnt from this plan is that it's much harder to implement plans than it is to write them down on paper. Although today - in 2018 - we are an ecological printing company, we know that we haven't done everything we wanted to and that we can and must improve a lot. I think there is still too much waste that could and should be recycled, too much wasted energy and other things that we need to improve.
Why make this internal document public now? This is a way of keeping us "in order", publicising our efforts and forcing us to continue this process. Although in 2018 we have no document to guide us, we continue to take steps and several changes are being made.
We will write the document for the 2018-2020 period and we will publish it then so that we feel responsible for complying with it.
We aim to be as "green" and ecological as possible. It's visible every day with the organic products we sell, especially organic T-shirts, and with direct printing, an environmentally friendly printing method. We want to show that we don't start and end there, ecology is part of our corporate culture.
