With green living on the rise, the idea may have already crossed your mind – should you be offering eco-friendly products to your customers, or switch your existing products to more sustainable options?

You’ll be pleased to know that print on demand (POD) itself is one of the most sustainable business models out there, so you’re definitely on the right path. With POD, the goods are produced on an “as needed” basis, therefore reducing inventory and creating zero waste. It allows business owners to offer a greater variety of designs without needing to purchase any pre-printed stock.

When it comes to direct to garment (DTG) printing: it is much more sustainable than the older printing methods, like screen printing. DTG printing machines typically use environmentally-friendly, water-based inks, and the process itself is mostly waterless and highly energy-efficient.

We’ve prepared this short guide to help you decide on which products would be the best fit for your store.

Eco-friendly

“Eco-friendly” is an umbrella term that describes products that have little or no damaging effect on the environment. For example, products that are reusable and will replace the more wasteful plastic or paper alternatives. Our custom-printed Stainless Steel Travel Mug, Stainless Steel Water Bottle, Insulated Bottle, Infuser Water Bottle, and Enamel Campfire Mug will make great gifts that your customers are sure to love. Moreover, organic and biodegradable products would also fall within this category – you can browse all of our eco-friendly product options here.

Organic

Printify offers a variety of Organic Cotton T-shirts, manufactured by the Oeko-Tex, GOTS, and PETA certified manufacturer Stanley Stella. Organic cotton is grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. These certifications confirm that the garments have undergone laboratory testing for a wide range of harmful substances, are responsibly manufactured, and also vegan. Stanley Stella also offers sweatshirts and hoodies made of organic cotton and recycled polyester blend.

Click here to see all of our organic cotton products.

Reusable

Consider our Stainless Steel Travel Mug, Stainless Steel Water Bottle, Insulated Bottle, and Enamel Campfire Mug – stainless steel is a 100% recyclable material and these products can be used for many years. Another reusable favorite: a fabric tote bag.

Biodegradable

Some of our products are entirely biodegradable, such as our Wood Canvas, Wooden Christmas Ornaments, and our Biodegradable Phone Case with absolutely no plastic. The phone case can be put in a compost pile and will decompose within 160 days – which can then be used as healthy soil for your homegrown veggies! It doesn’t get any better than that.

Vegan

Cruelty-free products are in high demand, which is why we’ve added more vegan-friendly options to our catalog. All 3 of our candles – Scented Candle, 9oz, Scented Candle, 11oz, and Aromatherapy Candles, 9oz – are made from natural soy wax, which is a 100% vegan alternative to beeswax or the more unsustainable paraffin wax.

When it comes to leather alternatives, faux leather is the way to go. It’s a man-made material that replicates the look and feel of genuine leather, while being cruelty-free. Our Zipper Wallet, Saffiano Leather Card Holder, and Clutch Bag are made from this material.

As for garments, Stanley Stella is a PETA Vegan-Approved garment manufacturer. This means that not only are their products free of any animal-derived components and animal testing, but also that their production methods are not harmful to animals in the surrounding wildlife.

What is more, most of our AOP garments (by MWW On Demand and ArtsAdd) are vegan-friendly.

Printify is dedicated to providing full transparency into every product so that you can be confident that your products are 100% aligned with your values. Additional product information can be provided upon request.

Ethical

One of the certifications that is well-known in the apparel industry is WRAP – Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production. WRAP only certifies individual facilities, and the certification confirms that the manufacturer operates with ethical and humane conditions. This is something that goes beyond eco-friendly – you can be sure that these manufacturers are ethically sound and transparent with their supply chains: AWDIS, Anvil, Bella + Canvas, Delta, Gildan, LAT Apparel, Rabbit Skins, Next Level.

What is Printify doing about it?

Sustainability matters a great deal to Printify. We’re committed to reducing our footprint in the world and have joined the Tech Green Pledge – pledging to make our company climate neutral by 2030.