Epson opens smart factory with Citizen Wolf

Epson has launched its partnership with Citizen Wolf to achieve the shared goal of minimising waste in the fashion and manufacturing space.

The two companies have collaborated to create a smart factory that combines Citizen Wolf’s made-to-order technology with Epson’s direct-to-garment printing technology.

Epson A/NZ MD Craig Heckenberg said, “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 Ethical Clothing Australia accredited, B Corp-certified and 100% made in Australia.

Citizen Wolf co-founder Eric Phu said, “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.”

The companies said that charities and brands would usually need to order and pay for mass quantities of merchandise in advance, without knowing which style, designs or sizes will sell well. This would result in unsold stock wasting money and resources. For charities in particular this ties up their finances in warehousing items rather than being used to deliver on their mission.

“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,” Phu said. “In this way they can create as many designs, styles and sizes of garments as they wish that 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.”

In order to create the smart factory Epson has provided several pieces of key equipment, including its 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.

The partnership also took the opportunity to launch a limited-edition range of sustainably produced T-shirts and tote bags in collaboration with OzHarvest Ventures, the social enterprise entity of OzHarvest, where proceeds from products sold support OzHarvest’s work delivering meals to people in need.

“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,” Heckenberg said.

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 positive impact for the world through innovative ideas and collaboration.”

The new range is available for purchase exclusively from OzHarvest’s website.

Image caption: Epson's smart factory launch. Image: Supplied.