Monna Lisa Carbon-Neutral Printing is an initiative developed by Epson Como Printing Technologies to offset greenhouse gas emitted by the generation of electricity used to power its Monna Lisa industrial textile printers.

Como, Italy, October 2021 – Epson Como Printing Technologies, an Epson group company active in direct fabric printing, is launching the Monna Lisa Carbon-Neutral Printing initiative: for every Monna Lisa printer sale it will make the operating phase carbon-neutral thanks to a program that offsets greenhouse gas emissions arising from the generation of the power used during printing operations.

Besides confirming the commitment of the Epson group companies to a policy focused on environmental issues – this year Epson announced its new Environmental Vision 2050 under which it undertakes to become carbon-negative by the end of 2050 – the initiative is designed to raise awareness and engage the textile supply chain in measures to render the production process sustainable.

The offsetting, organised in collaboration with Rete Clima, a no-profit body that promotes CSR programs for the corporate sector and private individuals, will be achieved by both the deletion of Gold Standard carbon credits generated by a wind farm project in India, and, in parallel, km zero tree planting in a park in North Milan, an activity launched a few years ago in Italy by Epson to leave a tangible sign of its environmental commitment in the local community.

Certified carbon-offsetting projects, implemented on a global and a local scale with the objective of absorbing rather than emitting carbon, help to combat global warming, the greatest environmental, social and economic risk of the modern age.

The mechanism is simple: once the carbon emissions of a production cycle – in this case fabric printing with the Monna Lisa printer – have been measured, a carbon-offsetting project is supported through the purchase and retirement of carbon credits, thus neutralising the impact on the climate of the production cycle. The simultaneous planting of trees in the local community is an additional complementary activity with various benefits, such as the absorption of carbon dioxide, the elimination of atmospheric pollutants, the protection of biodiversity, the combating of the urban heat island effect, the creation of community spaces for local residents.

“I believe that companies today must be more committed than ever to taking direct action against global warming,” says Epson Como Printing Technologies sales & marketing director Paolo Crespi. “This means better production practices, with the engagement of the supply chain to minimise environmental impact. Digital printing technology, and Monna Lisa in primis – a pioneer in textile printing – delivers important savings in water and power consumption. With the Monna Lisa Carbon-Neutral Printing initiative, we shall neutralise the carbon emissions from generation of the electricity required to power the printers.”

“Global warming is a huge and significant risk, and everyone must play their part in fighting it,” says Rete Clima founder Paolo Viganò. “Companies are in the forefront of working towards concrete decarbonisation targets and so contribute to the protection of the climate within their organisation and supply chains. This is the thinking behind the Epson project, which is a commitment to the voluntary reduction of the carbon footprint of processes using the equipment it sells on the market. A responsible action over and beyond the production of the Monna Lisa printer to attract the interest of customers and their own production processes.”