Page 40 - Sustainability report 2018 Ratti Group

CHAPTER 3 | Material becomes creation WASHING
The harmony of each Ratti production
stage is reflected in fabric printing: a balance
of colours and fluidity as well as the superb quality of this art in perennial equilibrium between
a tradition of craftsmanship and technological and stylistic innovation.
Looking to the future in a sustainable manner, for Ratti, means not abandoning the past but, instead, continuing to build on it and invest in it, and to be able to offer a high-quality product. Ratti SpA tasked a certification agency,
Bureau Veritas, with validating the process
of traditional printing against inkjet printing, showing that using traditional printing is a choice that better respects the environment.
The analysis focused on the different use of resources, energy, water and chemical products of the two printing processes – inkjet technology versus table printing – comparing their use of electricity, water and chemical products.
The results demonstrated that table printing was more virtuous in that it used less resources.
The validity of the results of the internal study
were confirmed by its compliance with the standard ISO 14021:2016 on 15 December 2017.
The need to preserve the workmanship of traditional printing, given that a segment of luxury customers are still very interested in it, and to ensure its continuity, has also led Ratti to research and implement a new design project for table
printing, in partnership with a mechatronics firm and a software development company.
The redesign has brought Ratti’s table printing
in line with modern technological standards,
and includes its integration with the IT system. Ratti’s new printing table has been installed and is currently being fine-tuned and tested.
Traditional printing versus inkjet
Energy saving (TEP/m)
Water saving (l/m)
Chemical products saving (g/m)
-40%
-39%
-48%
SILK -19% 4%
COTTON -33% 34%
VISCOSE -47% -9%
Source: Internal study commissioned to an independent body, 2017
Following the printing process, the fabric is treated with steam to set the colours (steaming phase)..
The steaming phase fixes the colours on the fabric through physico-chemical processes, whose final stage is a reaction between the colouring and the fibre, which varies according to the category or dye used. The main technique used is the continuous technique, whereby the printed fabric is always open with and without folds, using rooms with special temperature and humidity conditions.
Washing is used to remove excess dye from the fabric. The type of machine used depends on
the structure of the fabric: for rigid weaving continuous machines are used for open-width washing, while for knitted fabrics washing in rope form is used with continuous or discontinuous machines. The temperature conditions and the time taken are also linked to the category of dye used.
The final phase of the production cycle is finishing. This is a mixture of chemical treatments, applications baths of specific products or mechanical treatments (calendering), which the fabrics undergo to improve their properties or add some new ones.
The operation is carried out with continuous machines and with the fabric in open-width form.
The final check before shipping is quality control, which verifies compliance with the production specifications. Following the check the fabric, rolled up in cardboard tubes, is labelled with details including a map of gross metres and any defects.
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