Mimaki has announced that its Sb54/310/410 and Sb320/420 sublimation inks have achieved the ECO PASSPORT certification from OEKO-TEX®. ECO PASSPORT is a mechanism by which textile chemical suppliers demonstrate that their products can be used in sustainable textile production. It authenticates the safety of chemicals used during the production of textile dyes, pigments and finishing agents. OEKO-TEX® is the first system proving the safety of textiles in Europe, and 
Nissenken is the exclusive certification authority in Japan. Certifications cover each stage of raw materials, product and company environment. The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® product certification has a history of over 20 years, boasting more than 150,000 recipients in the world. The ECO PASSPORT mechanism was established in 1992 by the OEKO-TEX® international association headquartered in Switzerland and was the first certification process to validate the safety of textiles.
Safety certification of raw materials for the Mimaki inks was achieved through the Nissenken Quality Evaluation Centre. The certification validates OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 compliance, a worldwide consistent, independent testing and certification system for raw, semi-finished, and finished textile products at all processing levels, as well as accessory materials used. This authentication is very strict and only applies to products that meet over 300 requirements of relevant harmful substances.
This certification reinforces Mimaki’s market-leading approach to developing ink, inkjet systems and reducing overall environmental impact. This is especially the case with sublimation printing, as this environmentally conscious print system does not use chemicals such as emulsion and does not require steaming and washing processes after printing, further adding to reduced environmental footprint as compared to other textile printing systems such as screen printing.
“Mimaki continues to pursue high-quality, environmentally-friendly manufacturing and strives to reduce environmental impact,” comments Ronald van den Broek, General Manager Sales at Mimaki Europe. “We are gratified by the recognition of our efforts embodied in this important certification. We will certainly continue our efforts to offer products and services that harmonise with the environment and will seek additional certifications to validate the impact of those efforts as we move into the future.”
Mimaki Australia
www.mimakiaus.com.au
