It’s no secret that 2024 was a challenging year for the digital textile market, which has, in fact, been at a plateau for some time. Most sources indicate, for example, that the percentage of printed fabric that is printed digitally has been stuck around 10% for some time. Are there new products, technologies, and socio-political factors that can spur growth in the segment? That’s what Simon Daplyn, Manager, Product Marketing; and the company’s business leader for textiles, Edri Baggi; discussed during a recent World Textile Information Network (WTIN) fireside chat. The full broadcast can be found here.

Both of the speakers joined Sun Chemical when it acquired Sensient Imaging Technologies in July of 2020. Both have technical backgrounds. Simon is a chemist by training with a long background in the textile industry, while Edri is an engineer who has spent her entire career in textiles.

Edri pointed out that due to many socio-political factors, there has been significant disruption in the textile industry and a lot of uncertainty, not the least of which is difficulty in forecasting what consumers will buy, meaning inventory management is a critical challenge. Additionally, she noted, sustainability is a significant challenge for the industry, as we have written about many times in this space. While this is driven by regulatory changes, it is also noteworthy that consumers are increasingly concerned about where their apparel is made, what its made of, and its impact on the environment. These dual forces are growing challenges for the industry.