The textile market is one of the biggest polluters, mainly due to its production of waste. To stem this long-standing problem, the digitisation of the industry is the only solution. Paolo Crespi, Commercial Director of Epson Como, addressed the topic in an interview during the ITMA trade fair.

Established for years as an industry leader, Epson is at the forefront of digital imaging technology: the production of video projectors, printers, scanners and inks is focused on sustainability and premium quality products.

At ITMA 2023, the sector's most renowned trade fair, Paolo Crespi, Epson Como's commercial director, gave an interview in which he shared the company's main values with audiences, conveying a message of great positivity and hope for the near future, orientated towards the digitisation of the textile sector.

The importance of keeping up with current regulations prompted Epson to develop new technologies that would limit the use of raw materials and the production of textile waste. In the 20+ years since the introduction of Epson printing technology, the company has not been satisfied merely with reducing waste - but has continued to look towards the future with new projects.

"Flexibility'', is the watchword Crespi is keen to reiterate during the interview: without flexibility, innovation is impossible. A flexible machine can reduce the consumption of materials, optimise time and centralise production by avoiding the purchase of different machines to achieve multiple results.

Epson's great boast is that it has created machines capable of reducing the printing process to an absolute minimum, unifying the different steps. Starting with the ML-13000, Epson's smallest printing unit, all the latest machines are equipped with dedicated pre- and post-processing heads, so that the fabrics do not need any other dedicated machinery.

Depending on their size, the various printers are suitable for different settings: a larger number of heads, proportional to the size of the machine, will consequently make it more suitable for larger projects and semi-industrial or industrial contexts.

Some of the Monna Lisa printers for industrial use, such as the ML-32000, can be used to print two fabrics of different sizes side-by-side within the same machine, thus optimising working times.

When asked about possible future market expansion, Paolo Crespi then shared his opinion about the great potential of North Africa and the Middle East. These growing markets, including countries such as Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt, already have a large number of dedicated textile printing machines, and are an excellent ground for spreading the digitisation process beyond Europe.

The readiness and foresight to foresee economic growth resulting in greater investment opportunities from these countries is an indispensable characteristic for Epson, which, to ensure that it is never unprepared, has always invested in laboratory research to obtain new products and technologies, and to keep up with the times.

It is estimated that almost 80% of Italian companies in the textile sector have now switched to digital printing, and Epson Como's Commercial Director hopes to see an increasing trend in the coming years. If this does not come to fruition, the environment will suffer irreversibly.

Paolo Crespi finally stated, "you can’t stop technology", to emphasize how technological change is the driving force behind every sector because, thanks to it, it is possible to improve and create a safe environment for those who live in it.