We’ve been hearing about the benefits of 3D printed production for years but now it turns out the process is eco-friendly too.
Additive manufacturing, the technical name for using 3D printing machines to make products like clothing, footwear and home goods, has been gaining in importance over the past decade for its low costs, labor savings and ability to produce domestically but now a new study shows that it also could be better for the environment compared to traditional manufacturing.
The research, commissioned by the Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association – which obviously promotes such manufacturing – looked at how making a product component like the logos attached to footwear benefited from the 3D process.
The 14-month study, “Comparative Analysis: 3D Material Jetting vs Traditional Methods for Designer Luxury Goods,” found that additive manufacturing print-to-textile production cut CO2 emissions by 24.8 percent compared to traditional processes and saved almost a full metric ton of carbon emissions, the organization found.
The AMGTA also said the process saved 50% of stock material across the supply chain, plus more than 300,000 liters of water, while cutting electricity consumption by more than 64%.
“We are committed to advancing the research and publication required to better understand the sustainable value of AM technologies as part of the manufacturing cycle for broad business cases,” Sherri Monroe, executive director of AMGTA said. The new research, she added, “delivers important data that supports the value of AM to impact one of the most polluting industries in the world.”