The Best Eco-Friendly Print on Demand Companies in 2023

The best eco-friendly print on demand companies are gaining a lot of attention in today’s sales landscape. As the ecommerce space becomes increasingly cluttered and competitive, business leaders are constantly searching for ways to connect with their audience and increase sales.

Building a sustainable, ethical business might not seem like the best way to increase your profits, but studies are beginning to demonstrate just how effective this strategy can be. In one report, researchers found 78% of customers say they’re more likely to buy something with an environmentally-friendly label. Additionally, 75% of millennials say they’ll pay more for eco-friendly goods.

Consumers are increasingly paying more attention to how their purchases affect the planet. As a result, business leaders need to rethink which companies and vendors they partner with to create their products. Eco-friendly print on demand suppliers could be the perfect way for business leaders to show their commitment to running a greener organization.

Print on demand companies are a form of dropshipping supplier. Similar to dropshipping vendors, they take over the work of producing, packing, and shipping products for ecommerce brands, so they don’t have to worry about fulfillment. The main difference with POD vendors is they allow organizations to add their own printed designs to books, clothing, and home accessories.

Eco-friendly print on demand companies transform the POD process with a focus on environmentally friendly practices. They often use recycled materials, earth-friendly inks and printing mechanisms, and work with third-party logistics providers to reduce the emissions of transporting goods.

The Best Eco-Friendly Print on Demand Companies

Let’s take a look at some of the most eco-friendly options on the market.

• Printful
• Printify
• T-POP
• Prodigi
• Ecomerch
• Spreadshirt
• Redbubble

Printful

Few print on demand companies have the same market reach and impact as Printful. One of the most popular suppliers around, the company offers business leaders a range of valuable features, including an excellent mock-up generator for creating product images, a huge selection of products to choose from, and integrations with world-leading ecommerce tools like Shopify.

Printful also takes an environmentally-friendly approach to production. Using the made-to-order approach, Printful only produces items when they’re ordered, which reduces the amount of waste in the apparel market. Since 2021, the organization also began using packaging made of post-consumer recycled plastics. Plus, for posters, Printful uses cardboard tubes instead of plastic tubes.

Thanks to a huge variety of fulfillment centers dotted across Japan, Brazil, the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Spain, and other locations, Printful can deliver items from as close as possible to their target audience. This lowers shipping costs and delivery times, while reducing CO2 emissions. Plus, the supplier donates damaged and returned products to charities like the American Kidney Fund, Goodwill, and Red Cross.

Pricing

Printful doesn’t charge businesses any subscription costs to start using their service. You pay only for the cost of making the products you want to sell, and shipping them to your target audience. This means costs will vary depending on your business.

Pros:

• Fast delivery times and affordable shipping with low CO2
• Recycled packaging options
• Integrations with eBay, Shopify, Etsy, WordPress (WooCommerce) and more
• Excellent range of products with mock-up generator
• Reliable quality management

Cons:

• Some fulfillment times can be a little slow
• Shipping costs are variable

Printify

Alongside Printful, Printify is one of the better-known print-on-demand companies available for today’s business leaders. The company offer a similar experience to Printful, with a range of amazing items to choose from in virtually every niche. The company also has a print network in more than 100 locations, helping to reduce the CO2 emissions of production.

Currently, Printify offers a variety of great eco-friendly products to choose from, including organic cotton hoodies, sweatshirts, and t-shirts. These products are OEKO-TEX certified, and even PETA-certified in some cases.

Printify also offers companies a way to produce environmentally-friendly products which help to reduce overall waste. For instance, you can design stainless steel water bottles and travel mugs, or fabric tote bags to help customers stop using throw-away items. There are biodegradable phone cases with no plastic included, wooden canvases, and vegan-friendly garments too.

Pricing

Companies can start using Printify for free, however, there is a subscription plan available which costs $24.99 per month if you want a 20% discount on all of your products. Like most eco-friendly POD companies, the prices for each product can vary depending on materials and shipping fees.

Pros:

• Excellent global production network
• Support from FedEx, DHL, UPS, and many other delivery companies
• Custom neck labels and sleeve printing
• Free design libraries to get you started
• Integrations with Wix, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, eBay and others

Cons:

• Eco-friendly items can be more expensive
• Production times can vary

T-POP

Perhaps one of the biggest providers of eco-friendly and sustainable products in the print on demand landscape, T-POP is a fantastic choice for companies who want to reduce their environmental impact. The company employs a range of environmentally-friendly printing techniques, using ink that is both OEKO-TEX and GOTS certified. You can create vegan-friendly products, and work with textile suppliers who commit to a completely green approach too.

T-POP ships all orders without plastics in fantastic cardboard envelopes, and uses its partnerships with the world’s leading postal operators in the carbon neutral landscape tor educe its ecological footprint. The company also delivers a range of amazing features for business leaders, including free logos, social network information, thank-you notes for packaging and more.

You can automatically translate your packing slips into the language of your target audience without hiring a translator. Plus, you can customize countless aspects of your products to suit your brand. There’s even the option to add stickers and free gifts to each package to boost customer loyalty.

Pricing

Once again, there’s no subscription fee for using T-POP, but you will have to pay for the costs of creating your items and shipping them to your target audience. The costs of each item can vary and environmentally-friendly solutions are sometimes a little more expensive than their counterparts.

Pros:

• Lots of branding tools for growing companies
• Excellent global shipping with translation
• Free logos and social networking tools
• Integrations with leading ecommerce websites
• Environmentally friendly packaging choices

Cons:

• Fewer product options than some alternatives
• Shipping can take a while to some locations

Prodigi

A leading print on demand supplier with a passion for sustainability, Prodigi allows companies to create a huge selection of products, from wall art, to phone cases. You can design items with water-based inks which don’t damage the planet. Plus, there are vegan-friendly solutions available too, so you can appeal to every audience.

Prodigi offers a wide range of recycled t-shirts and totes, as well as sustainably sourced wood and paper. All of your customers products will be sent to them from the closest possible fulfillment center, to help reduce CO2 emissions. Plus, Prodigi takes steps to remove plastics from its packaging wherever possible too.

Prodigi also has a fantastic sustainable supply chain. Every company that works with the brand is screened for compliance with fair labor and sustainability standards. The organization also works with suppliers who use renewable energy sources wherever possible too.

Pricing

There’s no cost for signing up with Prodigi, and you can use all the services without paying a monthly fee. However, you will need to pay for each item you create and ship. You can usually find the cost of each item laid out for you in your Prodigi dashboard, which makes it easier to budget effectively.

Pros:

• Fantastic sustainable supply chain
• Eco-friendly products and recyclable items
• Minimal plastic in packaging choices
• Compliance with fair labor and sustainability standards
• Local printing and global dropshipping

Cons:

• Fewer product options than some alternatives
• Some customization options may be limited

Ecomerch

Ecomerch is one of the few print on demand suppliers available in the market today with a direct focus on producing entirely sustainable products. You can choose from a range of retail-ready sustainable items, featuring recycled cotton and polyester. Products are printed using water-based inks to protect the environment, and the company uses sustainable packaging too.

Ecomerch offers businesses a one-stop-shop for producing all of the assets they need to run a sustainable store. You can connect the system directly to your Shopify website, to save yourself time on managing orders and fulfilment. There’s also an API available if you need to connect Ecomerch to a store outside of Shopify.

Ecomerch can also help you with promoting and marketing your brand too. If you want to enhance your brand and build deeper relationships with customers, there are various “additional extras” available. You can package items with screen printed tissue paper and swing tags, and create custom organic cotton or recycled polyester labels too.

Pricing

There’s no cost for signing up with Ecomerch, and you won’t have to worry about any monthly subscription fees. However, it’s worth noting the eco-friendly products on offer by the brand can be a little more expensive than some of the alternative, less sustainable solutions on the market.

Pros:

• Lots of “additional extras” to promote your brand
• Plenty of garment options to choose from
• Recycled and organic materials throughout
• Sustainable supply chain with local delivery
• Plastic free packaging

Cons:

• Some products can be a little expensive
• Fewer options than some alternatives

Spreadshirt

Most POD companies are already familiar with Spreadshirt. The company is one of the top suppliers of print-on demand clothing, mugs, stickers, and more. The creative platform offers hundreds of different items to choose from. Plus, there’s a built-in marketplace where you can find new designs for your products if you need a little extra inspiration.

Spreadshirt commits to delivering high-quality prints for every item, and there’s even an embroidery option available for luxury items too. Spreadshirt takes care of all the work of connecting with your audience for you, with support for shipping, handling, customer service, and payments. Plus, the company has a strong commitment to sustainability, working with eco-friendly supply chains, and donating their returned or unused products to charities. Some items are even used as insulation wool when they’re not suitable for donation.

The direct-to-garment production method leveraged by Spreadshirt uses less water than the industry standard, as well as vegan inks. The company also has its own eco-friendly product range to choose from, and a commitment to working with suppliers who use renewable energy. Plus, the team commits to saving as many trees as possible.

Pricing

Like most print on demand suppliers in the eco-friendly environment, there’s no monthly fee to sign up with Spreadshirt. Instead, you simply pay for the items you want to create, and the fees associated with shipping. Certain eco-friendly items can be a little more expensive than their alternatives.

Pros:

• Eco-friendly printing and product development
• Recycling for unused items and returns
• Excellent range of eco-friendly product options
• Sustainable supply chain strategy
• Useful marketplace for finding designs

Cons:

• Some limitations on product customization
• Deliveries can take a while to some locations

Redbubble

Redbubble is a little different to some of the other print on demand suppliers on the market today. Rather than creating products with the service and adding them to your store, you list your items alongside other creators on a huge global marketplace. This means you have instant access to a wide range of potential customers, but there is more competition to consider too.

From an eco-friendly perspective, Redbubble offers users the option to create a wide range of environmentally friendly products from scratch. The company is committed to ethically sourced apparel, and only works with suppliers who are dedicated to sustainability. The ethical production processes used by Redbubble hold social compliance certifications, which focus on minimizing environmental impact and treating workers ethically.

Redbubble is invested in being as carbon neutral as possible, with a minimal footprint. They’ve partnered with renewable energy experts like 3Degrees to integrate programs into their processes which offset their carbon emissions. Plus, they fight back against unfair labor practices wherever possible too.

Pricing

There’s no cost for signing up with RedBubble, but you also won’t earn all of the cash associated with making a sale either. You get a “margin” as an artist, while Redbubble receives the rest of the cash, so your profit margins can be a little low.

Pros:

• Excellent sustainable and ethical practices
• Marketplace to help you reach new customers
• Good range of product options to choose from
• High-quality printing methods available
• Lots of support for marketing and branding

Cons:

• Significant competition in the marketplace
• The profit margins may be a little low

Choosing an Eco-Friendly Print on Demand Company

As customers become more concerned about the impact they’re having on the planet, many POD companies and vendors are updating their strategies with a focus on sustainability. With the right vendor, you can reduce your carbon footprint, commit to fair trade standards, and even reduce the amount of pesticides and chemicals entering our natural environment.

The right Eco-friendly print on demand company for you will depend heavily on what kind of products you want to create, how much you’re willing to spend, and the causes you’re hoping to support. The good news is you shouldn’t have any problem finding a vendor who shares the values of your brand and your target audience.

Good luck on your sustainable POD journey.