Sustainable Fabric Printing UK: How Printed Fabric Will Change in 2024

This year, we expect market growth in the UK’s fabric printing to reach almost 4.5 billion pounds. Currently about 5% of global manufacturers are using digital fabric print methods. We expect digital printing on fabrics to increase to 80%!

What is Eco-Friendly Digital Fabric Printing in the UK?

Digitally printed fabric involves reproducing a metre of fabric or more on a large format inkjet printer. This textiles printing method prints the design directly onto the fabric. This is the sustainable fabric process we use for printing at maake. 

In fact, we’ve already published a comprehensive blog on the subject, Digital Printing on Fabric: Mastering Digital Fabric Printing. It describes this environmentally friendly printing process in detail we use on fabric. It explains that “it’s similar to how you reproduce an image on paper… It’s just on a larger scale”. You’ll find it in the link above.

When you order digitally printed organic cotton or jersey materials in the UK, for example, you use several colour inks. We use custom water-based inks on fabric ink that doesn’t contain chemicals and is certified safe for children and babies. Our fabric digital printing methods use virtually no water and 95% less energy than regular printed textile processes. The fabric printers in Britain reduce waste rather than consume it.

Different Types of Printing on Fabric for Sewing

A fabric printer is usually prepared to offer 2 different types of digital fabric print described above. Then there is sublimation printing on fabric, used for synthetic fabric. 

In the dye sublimation printing method, the inks transform from a liquid to a gas. The gas then bonds with the fibres and the image is embedded in the fabric. The result is incredible photo-like quality.

We use similar machines for both printing methods – sometimes we use the same machines, just with modifications for printing on different fabric. And these fabric printing methods are far more economical as you can use small fabric runs. You can print exactly the amount of fabric you need. At maake our policy is to offer printed textiles on-demand. We only print exactly the amount of fabric you need.

The Advantages of Custom Textile Printing From Digital Printers

When you print only what fabric is needed, you make the digital printing process sustainable. You’ll also see that fabric prices for each order are more economical. 

• Quick material printing.
• Vibrant colour printed on fabric in quality high resolution.
• Less ink, water, and energy waste.
• It uses child-friendly, sustainable inks with Oeko-Tex 100 Class 1 and GOTS 6.0 certifications.
• The fabric is ethically sourced from local, trusted mills that are REACH-accredited. Some fabric also has SEDEX accreditation.
• Any excess fabric is given away for charities and other institutions to use for sewing instead of being sold or restocked. This is done through the maakelesswaste initiative.
• Printed natural fabric like organic cotton, knit jersey or linen fabric requires no water. This digital printing process produces less than a thimbleful of ink waste per 100m of fabric.

Facts About Sustainably Printed Fabric

• The more sustainable the printing process used for printed fabrics the cleaner and greener the printing process.
• Fabric that is printed in an eco-friendly way can benefit the environment instead of harming it.
• The more sustainable the fabric you order, the better. The fashion industry has started using sustainable fabric for printing on to improve its eco status.
• Government regulators in Britain and environmentally conscious consumers are keen to start making sustainability in fashion a priority. And we can begin with how we print on the fabric for fashion garments.
• In March 2022, the European Commission adopted the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Fabrics, which can offer proposals for improving the life cycle of fabric and custom fabric products.
• More and more clothes and fabric manufacturers are trying to make every aspect of their process sustainable, from when you order to when you print and right through to delivery.

Trends to Watch in Fabric Prints 

View the following trends which we predict will take over the fabric industry in the UK this year and in the future:

1. Increasing demand for natural materials:

As natural fabric (eg organic cotton or jersey) is easy to print on sustainably, people choose this fabric type to print on. These fabrics include cotton, silk, linen, wool, viscose, jersey, and lyocell.

2. Growth in a move towards digital printed custom fabrics:

As mentioned, the printing process for digital fabric is much more sustainable. It also uses less waste compared to regular printing processes. Because it does not impact the environment, more and more manufacturing factories will choose this fabric printing method.

3. Use of eco-friendly inks for digitally printing fabric:

Print companies are increasingly under pressure to use these inks when they print on fabric. As a result, manufacturers of adult, kids, and baby clothes and fabric homeware accessories are choosing environmentally friendly sustainable inks to print on fabric. 

Fabric Printing Facts

All fabric print processes used in the UK do have an environmental impact. But you can choose the most sustainable printing methods for fabric to print on a printed woven textile, natural fabrics like cotton or jersey and silk, and products made with custom fabrics. This way you can ensure your impact on the environment is as low as it possibly can be.

That’s what we do at maake. Sure, it may cost us more to choose quality over quantity when it comes to the materials UK uses, we are proud to be using custom local mills to source our fabric from, mills that use sustainable printing methods to produce those fabrics. And we pride ourselves on the exciting environmentally friendly digital printing processes we use on printed fabrics. We continually use these printing processes for fabric because we try to have as little environmental impact as possible.  

Sustainably Printed Fabrics are a Personal Choice

As our CEO Artemis Doupa says in her best-selling book Design & Grow, “When you decide to printdigitally on fabric, there are many printing methods out there. Printing methods like pigment printing, reactive dye printing, dye sublimation printing, acid, vat and direct disperse printing. 

"Yes, some of the printing methods might deliver a stronger colour in some cases. Do your brand values align with printing a custom product in a less sustainable print process? A printing process that is heavy on water and energy waste? It's surprising how many people call in or send samples to fabric print companies complaining that the print does not match.

“Brands that are ignorant about the printing methods believe that print is just that. It is your responsibility to make an informed decision – as an entrepreneur, as a designer and as a human. There is an opportunity to take action.

"Make sure your supplier has given you all the details. Ask your supplier questions; you must know how your custom product is made. What your product means to the world and to your customers. You might choose the less sustainable printing process and that is your decision but make it knowingly. 

Fabric Print Directory

At our North London factory, we use the digital print process for natural fabric (like cotton and jersey) and synthetic fabrics. When we print a design on custom fabrics our options are natural fabrics, like cotton, we use a specific digital pigment ink. We also print on man-made fabrics like polyester using sublimation inks.

Enjoy the extensive services and wholesale fabric products that we specialize in. Explore our Fabric Design Library which features an exclusive design selection. Each is a design created by an independent artist, or you can create your custom design to print on fabrics instead. Once you’ve submitted your order, we will print your design sustainably on your fabric choice.

Before you print your fabric, create your fabric design 

Browse Our Fabric Design Library

Then buy a sample fabric swatch book (find these in our online shop) to see how your design will be featured on several different fabric bases when we print these for you.