SHEIN adopts digital thermal transfer printing to increase efficiency, reduce environmental impact

Online retailer SHEIN has adopted digital thermal transfer printing to accelerate printing efficiencies and reduce the environmental impact of textile manufacturing in its supply chain.

SHEIN has reached a new milestone in its multi-year strategic plan to transition a significant amount of its printed products away from traditional screen printing in favour of less water-intensive printing methods. Since the start of this initiative in December 2018 SHEIN has converted over 50% of its directly sourced prints to use digital thermal transfer printing. This technique lends itself to SHEIN’s small-batch production process helping to cut down on inventory waste and conserve resources from the start.

While more expensive than traditional screen printing, digital printing methods offer a range of benefits, among them reduction of water and energy consumption. Digital thermal transfer is a printing technology in which dyes are printed onto thermal transfer paper before being transferred into the fabric to form a pattern. While conventional screen printing uses 0.49 tons of water to produce 100 meters of fabric, SHEIN’s digital thermal transfer printing technology is completely dry, improving operational efficiency and reducing each garment’s water footprint.

Over the course of the past four years the implementation of this model has enabled SHEIN to save 590,000 tons of water. A voluntary audit conducted by Bureau Veritas (BV) confirmed SHEIN’s digital thermal transfer printing is a zero-water waste printing process. In addition, it uses eco Oeko-tex certified inks which are free from hazardous substances.

The adoption of this new printing technology supplements the company’s small batch model enabling more textile designs and patterns to be printed efficiently making it an ideal option for producing a variety of items before deciding whether to raise output or cease production based on market feedback.

“With our investments towards scaling 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 optimise manufacturing practices and at the same time reduce their risk of overproduction and environmental footprint while offering quality products and variety to our customers. Digital textile printing is taking hold as an efficient and sustainable technology that will continue to support our scope 3 impact-reduction goals as we further expand its use within our supply chain in coming years,” stated Adam Whinston, Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) at SHEIN.

As part of its efforts towards improved textile manufacturing earlier this year SHEIN shared its 2021 GHG Emissions Inventory and plans to reduce carbon emissions by 2030. A renewed commitment to its Supplier Community Empowerment Programme, an initiative that aims to advance supplier partners and their communities at different stages of their development. The establishment of a SHEIN Spotlight Programme to empower families within the communities of suppliers it sources from.