A. There are several definitions for "organic / non-organic". For chemistry, organic materials are those containing carbon; non-organic materials do not contain carbon. Both organic and non-organic materials can be made synthetically or harvested from the earth. In reference to pigments or dyes used to color the inks, almost all are synthetically produced. 'Organic' with regards to chemical make up or production of raw materials is not a reference to environmental concerns, which the question implies.

In the case of organically grown materials, these materials are produced according to certain production standards eliminating of use conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge, and processing without ionizing radiation or food additives. Within the textile printing market, garment is considered 'organic' in reference only to the fabric made with materials following specific standards. The ink and its method for application would be concerned with the lowest environmental impact.

As a printer, you need to understand the environmental benefits of the various types of inks and their overall impact to processing.
There are 3 general types of textile inks: Solvent-Based, Water-Based, and Plastisol.

Solvent Ink
Solvent-based inks are considered the least environmentally friendly due to the VOCs (Volatile Orangic Compounds) given off during printing and drying. The petroleum-based binder used in many solvent-based inks could be replaced with renewable resources such as vegetable oil or soy. The downsides are that the inks dry very slowly are less durable, and still contain solvents emitting VOCs during printing.

Water-based Ink
Water-base inks are a good alternative in that a) water not solvents, evaporate during the ink's drying and b) now available are newer, safer formulations geared towards the elimination of PVC and phthalates.
There are two types of water-based inks: Traditional, air dry ink and Discharge ink.

* Traditional water-based inks soak into and become part of the cloth itself and provide good color-fastness and wash-ability.

* Discharge ink removes the original dye/color from the garment and replaces it with a color/pigment. Discharge inks are now available in formaldehyde free formulations, such as the Oasis Series by Wilflex, making them safer for the user and the environment.

Water-based inks are screen or digitally printed. Digital printing is perceived to be more environmentally friendly. An excellent example is the Brother GT-541. The GT-541 is faster and less expensive to operate than traditional screen printing machines because there is no set-up, tear-down, clean-up, screens, squeegees, or pallet adhesive. The GT-541 water based ink can be cured by a standard heat press, eliminating the need to purchase a conveyor dryer.

Plastisol Ink
New developments in plastisol inks, such as the PolyOne Quantum Series, are also PVC and phthalate free. These new inks are processed the same as traditional plastisol inks and provide the same high level of durability and color-fastness.

All inks contain pigments or dyes. Pigments are preferred due to high durability and light fastness. Pigments are either organic or inorganic; an ink series may contain both organic and inorganic pigments depending on color.

There are no industry wide definitions to qualify an ink or the printing method as organic. As a printer, be sure to research not only the ink, but also its environmental impact within the overall printing process. Be sure to evaluate the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and Technical Processing Instructions for any materials used throughout production of a garment.

A. Although no governmental regulatory body exists to define what a "green printer" is, developing and implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) is one place to start. Being able to provide documented information about your company's efforts to reduce its environmental impact through reduction of energy use, implementation of recycled substrate, proper ink and chemical use and disposal, use of low-VOC or plant-derived inks, and in-house recycling will help support your claims to sustainability.
"SGIA has long been an advocate of the EMS and has templates and other information that can get you started," says Marcia Kinter, VP for government and business information for SGIA. "Adoption of an EMS helps position a company in front of its customers by providing a strong story relating both the commitment and the initiatives taken to reduce the environmental footprint."

Switch to UV.
UV digital and screen inks are cured with the use of a UV light, curing a mostly solid ink film and almost eliminating the release of VOC's into the air. Solvent based inks, some of which may be classified as hazardous waste, emit volatile compounds which also must be regulated for employee safety and disposal purposes. Screen printing was an early adopter of UV and now digital markets are moving more and more to UV. The advantages of UV are evident, including elimination of heavy metals, less VOC emissions, less solvent vapor exposure to the printer, fewer harsh cleaners used in the printing and cleaning processes, more efficient ink curing, and reduction in energy used by the curing unit.

Eco-inks.
Using inks which have all heavy metals eliminated from their formulas and which contain only trace amounts of VOC's is a step to becoming more environmentally friendly. Many alternatives to solvent inks have recently hit the market including soy and corn-based products, which effectively reduce emissions without compromising quality.

Recycled Substrates.
Although a wide variety of recycled substrates are available important components to their use would be percentage of recycled content, whether they require the use of solvent-based ink, and if the substrate is post-consumer or pre-consumer waste. Recycling for digital and screen substrates varies by product and is dependent on factors such as what materials local recyclers will process, and the transportation costs to deliver materials to the recycling plant.

In-house Recycling.
Start an office recycling program for: office paper, aluminum cans, glass, plastic, cardboard boxes, light bulbs (mercury extraction), toner cartridges, household batteries, and wood pallets. Even industrial container recycling is available in some areas, such as larger plastic containers, and plastic and metal drum recycling.

In addition to maintaining company records, a variety of business networks exist to moderate between environmentally concerned businesses and consumers and encourage business to business development. These organizations review your business practices, equipment and policies, and provide online and printed network directories. Qualifying for these networks, such as Co-op America's Green Pages, may require filling out an application detailing your company's environmental impact.

A. No, Nazdar inks are not tested on animals.