Innovative technology drives sustainability

Phil McMullin, head of sales commercial and industrial printing at Epson UK talks about Earth Day (April 22, 2025) and the sustainability work his company is doing.

‘At Epson, we take sustainability very seriously and fully support the ethos and goals of Earth Day. We want to contribute to decarbonisation and preserve the environment for future generations. As part of this effort, we transitioned to 100% renewable electricity at all Epson group sites worldwide, and we subsequently expect to reduce our annual carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 400,000 tonnes. Epson has pledged to reduce the total emissions of its products by 2030 in line with the 1.5°C scenario, and has invested €770 million, to spend by 2030, on decarbonisation, resource recycling, and an accelerated programme to develop environmental technologies. The burden however isn’t on one global organisation, but on all of us individually. So, for Earth Day 2025 I encourage my colleagues, competitors, and industry peers to all consider how to adopt more environmentally conscious practices in their individual roles,’ said Phil.

The company works with sustainability in mind across all its markets, but it is seeing real changes within textile print, as Phil explains.

‘Striking a balance between environmental responsibility and economic viability is a challenge now faced by organisations globally, whatever their size and industry. And Earth Day is a pertinent reminder of how operations impact the environment, often revealing a legacy of unsustainable practices and inefficient equipment.’

He continued, ‘Historically, textile print is a resource intensive industry, and little has changed over the years. The environmental consequences are shocking. According to a study commissioned by Epson, 35 trillion litres of water – the equivalent to draining the River Thames 15 times over – is needed to produce the combined number of clothes in UK wardrobes. In fact, 634,510 litres are required – across production, finishing and dyeing – to create the garments owned by the average British consumer.

‘Encouragingly, there is a growing number of brands proactively seeking out eco friendly products, and the textile printing sector is fast tracking a wave of innovative solutions, leveraging advanced digital technology and high quality printing techniques for new plant based fibres. Combining digital printing with pigmented inks allows for a reduction of water usage by up to 97%, which, if deployed throughout the textile industry, could dramatically cut the discharge of wastewater and help to reduce landfill.

‘Without doubt, the textile industry faces massive environmental and regulatory challenges and identifying where to start can be daunting. However, thinking imaginatively and seeking out like minded partners can bring about exciting new solutions to the long standing issues of waste and pollution.’