Textile printing specialist Kornit is extolling the virtues of sustainable on demand printing at this week’s Printing United Expo in Las Vegas.
The company actively encourages retailers and brands to “be the change” by embracing digital production to succeed in a rapidly transforming fashion and textile industry. Ronen Samuel, chief executive officer at Kornit Digital, believes Kornit can empower the industry to adapt for what he calls “the new rules of supply and demand, unleashing unlimited creativity at the speed of e-commerce”.
He says, “Across the industry, the laws of supply and demand are quickly reversing. No longer must retailers and brands try to sell what’s already been produced, carrying unnecessary inventory and relying on supply chains that are often damaged or broken.
“High-volume, on demand production effectively addresses this challenge, all while providing the highest levels of quality, efficiency, and sustainability. For the first time in three years, we’re very excited to be in Las Vegas live to showcase how Kornit is powering this industry change.”
The company is showing its complete portfolio of high volume digital production saying its direct to garment and direct to fabric solutions reflect the company’s dedication to ensuring brands and retailers can succeed in an industry often defined by waste and overproduction.
The Kornit Atlas Max targets high quality mass customisation for textile printing, for example, printing polyester and poly-blended sportswear with vibrant colour, and custom fabrics for fashion, home-décor, and other applications.
The Kornit Apollo platform delivers highly automated, digital mass production on demand. Kornit says this end to end system ensures optimal total cost of ownership and the highest output per operator, with expected availability in mid-2023.
Also at the show, the KornitX workflow solution enables “the industry to realise the promise of on demand, end to end fulfilment and production. Kornit’s new Smart Curing solution targets highly durable and high-quality finished products.
Kornit says its integrated portfolio enables companies to adopt lean and agile, on demand fulfilment more effectively, from pixel to parcel to doorstep. Samuel says, “Through the power of high volume, on-demand production, companies are now better able to adopt nearshoring. Massive overproduction is a problem with so much product thrown away to landfill, creating more pollution. The digital world enables us to change this situation. We can see a movement from large quantity offshore production in say China or Bangladesh, to keeping it onshore.
Jacob Smith, co-owner at US company Dye Into Print, says, “Partnering with Kornit in DTF printing has helped us horizontally scale and expand our print on demand capabilities with the addition of natural fabrics. The single-step solution of the Kornit Presto S MAX has helped us further streamline our production, reduce our supply chain network, and better utilise valuable warehouse space.”
Reducing environmental impact
In conjunction with the Printing United Expo, Kornit has issued its second annual Impact Report, reinforcing a commitment to long-term sustainability and underscoring its forward looking strategy across the environmental, social, and corporate governance framework. This year’s report further expands the company’s long-term roadmap for evolving the world of fashion and textiles into one that is more sustainable and highly efficient with the aim of creating a better planet for everyone.
Samuel says, “This long-term sustainability strategy reflects our dual role as an agent of change and a driver of disruptive innovation. To achieve this, we’re committed to not only enabling change via on demand, sustainable production, but also being the change across business operations and employee satisfaction, green chemistry, and measurable reductions in energy.”
The company has made some key accomplishments and outlines these in detail in the report. In climate action and waste management, it has achieved a 16 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity; a 39 per cent reduction in hazardous waste intensity; and a 57 per cent reduction in non-hazardous waste intensity.
In green chemistry, Kornit has achieved complete elimination of Acute Toxic Amines; 20 per cent reduction of VOC level in Robusto Inkset and 30 per cent of VOC in Eco Ink/Green.
Also in diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as community engagement, Kornit saw an increase in women in management, from 30 per cent to 35 per cent. The company reported 88 per cent of employees feeling respected and free to be authentic at work.
