The challenge
Heck Press was founded in 2016. Based in a studio in Wales, it is owned and run by Sarah Fielding, an environmentally-conscious screen printing expert. With the environment at the core of its operation, including everything from using water-based and vegan inks to printing on organic and fair trade apparel, Heck Press sought the most sustainable option for disposing of misprints.
As misprints include customer designs, it was also vital to Heck Press that misprint disposal was secure. Secure disposal removes the risk of the garments and prints falling into the wrong hands, which could be damaging for customer relationships.
Client designs expertly printed by Heck Press. View more on the Heck Press Instagram - @heckpress.
Our approach
At Shred Station, secure destruction is our speciality. The environment is also at the heart of every commercial decision we make. Our approach to Heck Press’s requirement was to find the most sustainable and secure solution for the company’s misprinted textiles.
We provide fully accredited textile shredding and recycling services to every type of customer you can imagine, from high-end fashion houses to the emergency services. For us, keeping customers’ textiles secure through shredding is the easy part. The challenge with textiles is recycling.
Textile recycling isn’t as straightforward as something like paper recycling, and it isn’t always possible. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. This is because textiles are comprised of endless different fibres. For example, synthetic textiles like polyester are made using very finely spun plastic. Plastic-based textiles can typically be shredded and melted down into new pellets for reuse. Natural fibres are recycled differently. For example, 100% cottons can be shredded and re-spun to create thread. A blended textile, however, such as an 80% cotton - 20% polyester fabric, couldn’t be recycled into new fabric. This is because, once blended, the fibres aren’t easy to separate for their different recycling processes.
While recycling isn’t always possible for textiles, we’re pleased to say that it was for Heck Press! As the items we collected from Heck Press were 100% cotton, they were perfect for recycling.
The results
By shredding and recycling with us, Heck Press was able to prevent its misprinted items from entering landfill, protecting customer designs as well as the environment.
Producing just one virgin cotton t-shirt can require up to 2,700 litres of water and is expected to be responsible for around 15kg of CO2 over its lifetime. By recycling shredded cotton, we reduce landfill emissions, the demand for virgin cotton, and the resources it takes to grow and process virgin cotton into new garments.
By collecting the company’s misprints as and when needed with our ad hoc service, we are helping Heck Press to achieve its goals of minimising waste and safeguarding the environment.