Here’s the issue:

Spoonflower has worked hard to reverse this direction.

Since you have the ability to print the exact quantities you want, just the way you want them, there are no leftover materials.

A Cleaner Approach

Here are some areas where we strive to make a difference in the textile industry.

Organic and Earth-Friendly Fabrics

Eco-Conscious Wallpapers

Environmentally Conscious

Spoonflower invests in sustaining a healthy environment by working to reduce our ecological impact in everything we do, from recycling and composting in our office to printing packing slips on recycled-content paper. We have two factories—one in Durham, N.C. and one in Berlin, Germany—to reduce shipping transit to consumers, thus cutting our carbon footprint. 

Sustainability is at the heart of all that we do— 

you could say it’s in our nature to go green. 

Spoonflower.com

The textile industry is rife with sustainability problems: from the use of toxic inks and wasteful practices for materials and water, to a race to utilize the cheapest materials such as vinyl—no matter the environmental impact.

Our print-on-demand process is designed to minimize fabric and ink waste. 
We began with a holistic approach that addresses three key issues:

Water Conservation

Spoonflower’s pigment printing process consumes very little water to begin with, making it an eco-friendly solution in the textile printing industry. Our pigment inks are mixed from 4-8 basic colors as your fabric is printed, so unlike screen printing, there’s no mixing of colors in advance. 

Clean Ingredients

To ensure products are safe, we select the best-in-class fabrics, inks and dyes. All of our wallcoverings are printed with water-based latex inks. We avoid fabrics with any flame-retardant applications, and our fabrics pass tests ruling out harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde and lead.

Recycling and Reusing

Any Marketplace fabric returned to the factory is available for purchase through an employee shop (artists still earn their commissions!). Home decor orders that are returned or cancelled are donated to the Green Chair Project and A Lotta Love. Unprinted fabric remnants are available to local artists and makers in the Spoonflower community.

Reducing the use of materials and water by choosing a pigment printing process

Minimizing fabric waste by only printing what is needed and donating unprinted fabric waste

Ethically sourcing materials from a small group of trusted vendors

Recycling and Reusing

Marketplace fabric that is returned to the factory is donated (designers still earn their commissions!) to programs such as the RARE Bear sew-in, a grassroots outreach initiative for kids with rare diseases. Unprinted fabric remnants are available to local artists and makers in the Spoonflower community. Fabric that doesn’t meet our high standards never makes it to the landfill in the U.S., as it is shredded for industrial applications like car upholstery and furniture stuffing, bedding and flooring.

7,928
pounds of waste diverted from landfill into compost

1,036
pounds of methane avoided

*As of June 2021, through our composting efforts

Since 2015

Don't toss that mailer bag, compost it!

"We strive to have our compostable products be home and commercially compostable to make it easy for recipients to dispose more thoughtfully. We also encourage recipients to re-use the packaging they receive!" - Our friends at noissue

All tissue, packaging, and notecards from your Spoonflower order are compostable. The notecards and the tissue are also recyclable if that is your preferred, or only available, option.

Recycling and Reusing

Marketplace fabric that is returned to the factory is donated (designers still earn their commissions!) to programs such as the RARE Bear sew-in, a grassroots outreach initiative for kids with rare diseases. Unprinted fabric remnants are available to local artists and makers in the Spoonflower community. Fabric that doesn’t meet our high standards never makes it to the landfill in the U.S., as it is shredded for industrial applications like car upholstery and furniture stuffing, bedding and flooring.

Planet-Friendly Packaging

In partnership with noissue

Designed by Spoonflower Artists

In 2021 we challenged our artist community to create a custom design to be used on Spoonflower packaging. We were blown away by the thoughtful submissions from talented artists from around the world. The community voted, and after an interview process with the finalists, three winners were selected to be featured. We are delighted to have original art by luli_print, grace_andersson and stolenpencil displayed on the tissue paper that ships with your Spoonflower fabric order. 

Recycling and Reusing

Marketplace fabric that is returned to the factory is donated (designers still earn their commissions!) to programs such as the RARE Bear sew-in, a grassroots outreach initiative for kids with rare diseases. Unprinted fabric remnants are available to local artists and makers in the Spoonflower community. Fabric that doesn’t meet our high standards never makes it to the landfill in the U.S., as it is shredded for industrial applications like car upholstery and furniture stuffing, bedding and flooring.

Eco-Friendly DIY Tutorials

Giving Back to the Community we Love Through our Non-Profit Partners

From the Social Justice Sewing Academy to our local LGBTQ Center of Durham, Raleigh City Farm, JUST TRYAN IT, and more, Spoonflower is proud to partner with non-profit organizations big and small that share our values and our mission. 

Recycling and Reusing

Marketplace fabric that is returned to the factory is donated (designers still earn their commissions!) to programs such as the RARE Bear sew-in, a grassroots outreach initiative for kids with rare diseases. Unprinted fabric remnants are available to local artists and makers in the Spoonflower community. Fabric that doesn’t meet our high standards never makes it to the landfill in the U.S., as it is shredded for industrial applications like car upholstery and furniture stuffing, bedding and flooring.

"One of the values we at Spoonflower most fervently protect is community. Sharing the full diversity of family backgrounds and artistic points of view in our community of designers was the impetus and motivation for our first-ever Packaging Design Challenge."   - Sarah Ward, SVP of Brand Marketing