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SHEIN, an online retailer of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, uses digital thermal transfer technology to improve printing efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of textile manufacturing.
SHEIN has reached a new milestone in its multi-year strategic plan to convert a large volume of printed products from traditional screen printing to a less water-intensive printing method.
Since launching the program in December 2018, SHEIN has converted more than 50% of its direct-source prints to digital thermal transfer. This technology is suitable for SHEIN’s small batch production process, helping to reduce inventory waste and save resources from the very beginning.
Benefits
Although more expensive than traditional screen printing, digital printing methods offer a range of benefits, including reduced water and energy consumption. Digital thermal transfer printing is a printing technology in which dyes are printed on thermal transfer paper, and then transferred to fabrics to form patterns.
While traditional screen printing uses 0.49 tons of water to produce 100 meters of fabric, SHEIN’s digital thermal transfer technology is completely dry, improving operational efficiency and reducing the water footprint of each garment.
Over the past four years, the model’s implementation has enabled SHEIN to save 590,000 tons of water, equivalent to approximately 1.18 billion 500-milliliter (equivalent to standard 16.9 fl. oz.) bottles of water. In a voluntary audit by Bureau Veritas (BV), a global leader in testing, inspection and certification services, the report confirms SHEIN’s digital thermal transfer printing process as a zero-waste water printing process. In addition, it uses ecological Oeko-tex certified inks that do not contain harmful substances.
agile supply chain
Since its establishment, SHEIN’s agile supply chain model has kept the company in the leading position and can quickly produce small orders on demand. Employing this new printing technology complements the company’s low-volume model, enabling more textile designs and patterns to be printed efficiently, making it ideal for producing a variety of items before deciding whether to increase production or discontinue production based on market feedback choose.
Digital textile printing can also reduce fabric waste by improving print quality. The technology detects any flaws or blemishes created by intricate designs or created patterns and removes them before transferring the pattern to the fabric. The quality of printing has been improved, thereby increasing the proportion of high-quality garments, thereby reducing overproduction and waste of resources at the source.
“As we invest to expand the adoption of digital transfer printing technology to more than 50% of our supply chain, SHEIN creates value for its entire value chain from end to end. We enable our suppliers to optimize manufacturing practices while reducing their risk of overproduction and environmental footprint while providing our customers with quality products and variety.Digital textile printing is becoming an efficient and sustainable technology as we further expand its presence in the supply chain in the coming years , it will continue to support our Scope 3 impact reduction goals,” said Adam Whinston, Global Head of Environment, Society and Environment. Governance of SHEIN (ESG) — trade arab news agency
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