Epson partners with Citizen Wolf to reduce fashion waste

Epson has launched its partnership with Citizen Wolf, with a shared goal of minimising waste in the fashion and manufacturing space. The two companies have also collaborated to create a smart factory that combines Citizen Wolf’s made-to-order technology with Epson’s direct-to-garment printing technology.

At the launch event, the companies also announced a limited-edition range of sustainably produced t-shirts and tote bags in collaboration with OzHarvest Ventures, the social enterprise arm of OzHarvest, where proceeds from product sales support OzHarvest’s work in delivering meals to those in need.

Epson A/NZ MD Craig Heckenberg explained, “The NSW Government’s recent EPA report notes that 400,000 tonnes of textile waste alone is landfilled in Australia every year. Our partnership with Citizen Wolf, the creation of the Smart Factory and our support of the OzHarvest Ventures social enterprise initiatives are of particular value to the environment as they significantly contribute to our shared goals around sustainable manufacturing and minimising waste in the fashion and food industries.”

Citizen Wolf is an Ethical Clothing Australia-accredited and B Corp-certified company, stating that this ensures every garment meets the highest sustainability and ethical standards and is 100% made in Australia. All of which were demonstrated at last night’s launch event in their Marrickville factory.

“In collaborating with Epson to create a smarter factory, we’re able to bring to life a new innovation with our Zero Inventory Merchandise (ZIM) solution. This solves the real-world problem of eliminating the financial risks and incredible waste inherent in the fashion and merchandise industry, by combining Citizen Wolf's and Epson's leading on-demand technologies,” added Citizen Wolf co-founder Eric Phu.

Typically, charities and brands would need to order and pay for mass quantities of merchandise in advance, without knowing which styles, designs, or sizes would sell well, resulting in unsold stock that wastes money and resources. For charities, this ties up their finances in warehousing items rather than delivering on their mission and purpose.
Phu continued, “The ZIM solution flips this model by allowing charities and other brands to have custom-made garments, hold zero inventory, get their money upfront from the customer and only pay for what they sell. In this way, they can create as many designs, styles and sizes of garments as they wish, which are only produced when an order is placed. It eliminates the capital and risks associated with holding inventory, so it can be focused on supporting their charitable work, while creating new revenue streams to support their fundraising activities.”

Heckenberg added, “Given the enormous amounts of clothing sold during Black Friday and the holiday gifting season, most of which ends up in landfill within the year, the new smart factory and ZIM model are much needed and far more efficient alternatives that are better for people, charities and the planet.”

To create the smart factory, Epson has leveraged its printing expertise and provided several key pieces of equipment, including the SureColor F2260 A3+ DTG/DTFilm (direct-to-garment and direct-to-film) fabric and merchandise printer, a D300 Speed Oven, and a SEFA Rotex Pro Swing Away Heat Press.

OzHarvest Ventures is the newly established social enterprise and profit-for-purpose sister entity to OzHarvest. When announcing their support for the latest range, Heckenberg added, “OzHarvest is a wonderful for-impact organisation that helps stop food waste and feed those doing it tough in our community. We are delighted to work together with Citizen Wolf to print a range of t-shirts, tote bags and aprons, featuring designs by OzHarvest’s founder, Ronni Kahn, in the new smart factory. Proceeds from the range will support OzHarvest to carry out their amazing and impactful work.”

OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn commented, “My designs feature symbols of hope and collective action we can all take to do good in the world. This unique showcase is an example of how we can all work together and create a positive impact on the world through innovative ideas and collaboration.”

The new range can be viewed and is available for purchase at shop.ozharvest.org