Printful: Sustainability sits at the core of the business model

Sector: Business & Consumer Services

Head office: Riga, Latvia

Acquisition date: May 2021

Headcount: 2,063

Printful[[1]] is a market-leading independent provider of fully integrated print-on-demand services that powers the production and fulfilment of apparel and other goods for eCommerce merchants globally.

In 2024, Printful merged with production- on-demand provider, Printify, to form one combined company. While both platforms remain, they are now supported by a single, world-class team dedicated to driving the success of eCommerce businesses globally.

Sustainability Rationale

At its core, Printful’s print-on-demand technology presented a strong sustainability rationale by addressing inefficiencies in the traditional fashion industry. Sagemount identified several opportunities to strengthen its sustainable value proposition through a focus on operational excellence:

Tackling waste in the fast fashion sector

Approximately 21% of clothing produced in Europe annually is never sold[[2]]; Printful’s on-demand model produces items only after an order is placed, minimizing overproduction.

Potential for consolidation and localized fulfilment

Accelerating continued investment in Printful’s network of regional print hubs shortens delivery miles and lowers the carbon impact per package.

Increase share of eco-friendly products

Expansion potential into more sustainable product options such as certified organic and recycled t-shirt blanks to diversify options for merchants seeking to lower impact, meet end-customer demands, and grow market share.

"Partnering with Sagemount accelerated our ambition to make on-demand manufacturing the norm for a planet with finite resources and people with infinite ideas. We’ve experienced firsthand that when sustainability sits at the core of the business model, operational excellence and commercial success reinforce each other."

Alex Saltonstall

CEO - Printful

Key Developments & Highlights Over the Holding Period

Scope 1 & 2 emissions intensity (tCO2e)

In 2025, the company will be defining operational emissions reduction targets and decarbonization goals

2023:

10.7

2024:

7.7

Improved Operational Efficiency Across Global Facilities

Targeted energy audits identified areas for greater cost and energy savings. Printful transitioned to 39% green electricity across global facilities, with 85% at European production facilities. These efforts have lowered the carbon intensity of the average Printful product by 55% since 2021[[3]] .

Transition to High-Recycled Content Packaging

To meet customer demands, Printful focused on improving its packaging material to transition from virgin plastic. All apparel now ships in bags containing ≥70% post-consumer-recycled plastic worldwide, and 90-100% in North America.

Regionalized Fulfilment to Cut Freight Emissions

Ongoing investment in regional hubs enabled more localized shipping, translating to 86% of in-house orders (versus 80% in 2022) and 93% of partner-facility orders shipped from the same region, cutting freight distance and lead times.

Defined Sustainability Strategy

Printful worked in collaboration with our Responsible Investing team to define a sustainability roadmap across three pillars: Operations, Product, and People. To drive the implementation of the management agenda, a dedicated sustainability lead was appointed. Printful published its first sustainability report, detailing its commitments and progress as a joint entity with Printify, for CY 2024.

85%

Renewable electricity share across European facilities

Expansion of Eco-Friendly Products

Sustainable alternatives now exist for every bestseller category, ensuring customers can switch to lower-impact SKUs. In 2024, eco-friendly products drove 7% of total revenue, with a target of reaching 10% in 2025.

86%

Localized fulfillment

Sustainable product revenue

High-Quality Emissions Inventory

Since first calculating its carbon footprint in 2021, Printful has annually improved the scope, depth and quality of carbon data. The company has focused from the start on working with print partners, suppliers, and fulfillment facilities on driving reductions, reducing its operational emissions by 24% since 2021.