12 Best Ethical & Eco-Friendly Print-On-Demand Companies

In a study, researchers show that 78% of customers are more likely to purchase an item that is labeled environmentally friendly. 75% of millennials are also willing to pay more for earth-friendly goods.

With this increasing interest, print-on-demand store owners should start applying sustainable practices in the selling of their products as well as shipping processes.

To achieve that, it’s imperative that you work with ethical & eco-friendly print-on-demand suppliers, which we’ll show you the 12 best of them in this post.

Let’s dive right in!

Best Ethical & Eco-Friendly Print-On-Demand Companies

Here’re the 12 best ethical & eco-friendly companies for print-on-demand t-shirts.

1. T-Pop

T-Pop holds the largest selection of eco-friendly and sustainable products. It employs environmentally friendly printing techniques and uses ink that is Oeko-Tex, GOTS, and VEGAN certified.

In addition, the company works primarily with textile suppliers that are committed to a green approach, respectful of the environment, and human labor.

What’s more, T-Pop ships all orders without plastics in super cardboard envelopes and via the world’s leading carbon-neutral postal operators to minimize the ecological footprint.

Pros

• Blind dropshipping to France within 2-3 working days, to the European Union within 3-10 days, and the rest of the world takes 5-14 working days on average.
• Free logos, social network information, and thank-you notes on packages and packing slips.
• Automatically translate slips according to the language of the shipping destination for free.
• Support adding package inserts (flyers, thank-you cards, etc) and customer gift stickers.
• 5%-10% discounts for merchants who reach specific sales thresholds per month.
• Payment methods include Paypal and major credit/debit cards.
• Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, and Etsy.

Cons

• Lack a wide variety of products.
• Might take at least 4 days to print orders.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: €10.41 – €20.68.
• Shipping Costs: €3.95 – €10.6 for the first product and €1.00 – €6.00 for each additional one.
• Subscription Fees: Free.

2. Contrado

Another earth-friendly & ethical print-on-demand dropshipping company is Contrado. Since its inception in London England in 2002, it’s been dedicated to reducing landfills through responsible end-to-end production and increasing the consciousness of sustainability & eco-friendliness.

Contrado uses little water in the manufacturing process and ensures that ink waste is disposed of properly so nothing leaks into the environment.

Currently, the company provides a wide range of 100% vegan, natural, biodegradable, and organic products as well as items produced from recycled materials.

There’re other 300+ customizable items on Contrado, including men’s and women’s t-shirts, sweaters & cardigans, coats & jackets, dresses, skirts, nightwear & loungewear, swimwear, sportswear & athleisure, pants & leggings, footwear, face masks, hats, shoes, sunglasses, blankets, calendars, wallpaper, stickers, notebooks & journals, phone cases, print-on-demand jewelry, and more.

Pros

• Most international deliveries take 3-15 business days to arrive (via FedEx, DHL, UPS, and TNT).
• Dispatch orders within 1-3 days.
• 20%-40% off on wholesale orders.
• Can customize your product’s fabric label, dispatch note, thank you message, and fabric care label.
• Cut & sew manufacturing services.
• Accept Paypal and credit/debit cards.
• Integrate with Shopify.

Cons

• Relatively expensive products and shipping fees.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From $35.
• Shipping Costs: Express shipping methods start from $9.75.
• Subscription Fees: Free.

3. Green-Shirts

As the name suggests, Green-Shirts focuses solely on ecologically sustainable printing clothing right from the start. The company practices fair labor standards, leverages local production facilities, uses renewable energy, packages orders with recycled raw materials, and adopts climate-neutral shipping.

Regarding niches, Green-Shirts lets you design and purchase men’s, women’s, and unisex t-shirts, long sleeves, pullovers, blouses, skirts, dresses, underwear, shoes, and accessories.

Pros

• Ship to Germany, the EU, and Switzerland within 3-5 days.
• Accept Paypal, Visa, Mastercard, instant transfers, and Eps Pay.

Cons

• Not ship worldwide.
• No custom packaging.
• No integrations with eCommerce platforms.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From €19.90.
• Shipping Costs:  €4.90 to Germany (free of charge from €80). €5.90 to the EU and Switzerland (free of charge from €100).
• Subscription Fees: Free.

4. Printful

Like all other eco-responsible & earth-positive t-shirt printing companies on this list, Printful manufactures products using the made-to-order production approach, fulfilling only the print-on-demand items customers actually purchase.

Since May 2021, it has started using packaging made of post-consumer recycled plastics for all apparel orders shipped from in-house facilities. For posters, Printful has started using triangular cardboard boxes to replace tubes with plastic end caps.

With fulfillment centers across the US, Canada, Mexico, Latvia, Spain, Australia, Japan, and Brazil, Around 81% of Printful orders are delivered in the same region they’re ordered. This doesn’t only allow for faster shipping times and lower shipping costs, but it also helps with reducing the CO2 emissions produced when transporting shipments.

Furthermore, the supplier donates damaged and returned products to local charities, like the Red Cross, the American Kidney Fund, and Goodwill.

At the time of writing, Printful presents you with a catalog of 290+ different products to start designing, ranging from fashion clothing, mugs, phone cases, to bedding, blankets, to wall art.

Pros

• Fast worldwide delivery within 15 business days via USPS, FedEx, DPD, and DHL.
• Free packing slips, $2.49 for custom labeling/shirt, $0.50 for package inserting/order, and $0.5 for custom packaging/order.
• Discounts for bulk purchasing.
• Pay with Paypal, credit cards, and Printful Wallet.
• Integrate with Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Esty, WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Ecwid, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, Square, BigCartel, Wish, Weebly, Magento, 3dcart, Storenvy, and more.

Cons

• Fulfillment time is 2-7 business days.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From $15.26.
• Shipping Costs: Starting from $3.99.
• Subscription Fees: Free.

5. Printify

The next eco-friendly & ethical print-on-demand company is Printify. Launched in 2015, it’s able to develop a print network in over 100 locations, having served 2M merchants and fulfilling 10K products daily.

Currently, Printify offers a variety of organic cotton t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies printed by the Oeko-Tex, GOTS, and PETA-certified manufacturer Stanley Stella.

In addition, it provides you with stainless steel travel mugs, stainless steel water bottles, and fabric toe bags that are 100% recyclable and reusable. You can also find biodegradable print-on-demand phone cases with absolutely no plastic, wooden canvases, vegan leather bags, and vegan-friendly AOP garments on Printify.

Pros

• Worldwide delivery within 15 business days via USPS, FedEx, DPD, UPS, DHL, Royal Mail, and more.
• Free custom neck labels and sleeve printing.
• Free t-shirt design library.
• Process orders with Paypal and credit cards.
• Integrate with Amazon, eBay, Shopify, Esty, WooCommerce, Wix, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, and more.

Cons

• Production time is between 2-7 business days.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirt: From $13.13.
• Shipping Costs: From $3.5.
• Subscription Fees: Free to use. You can also upgrade to the $24.99/month Premium plan to get up to 20% discounts on all products.

6. Gelato

What we love about Gelato is that if you don’t know how to deal with customs, cross-border invoicing, tax, and vat issues, this sustainable print-on-demand company can help you navigate through that.

Having production facilities in over 33 countries, Gelato ensures nearly 90% of orders are made locally and seamlessly distributed to customers worldwide with minimum carbon emissions.

And, because your order is on-demand, the company doesn’t hold any stock or create products beyond need, thus eliminating overproduction.

Pros

• Ship to over 200 countries and territories within 4-15 days.
• 5%-16% discounts based on your monthly sales.
• Process orders with Paypal, credit cards, and Gelato Wallets.
• Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Squarespace, Wix, and other platforms via API.

Cons

• It might take at least 6 days to create products.
• No custom labels and packages.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From €12.95.
• Shipping Costs: From $3.49.
• Subscription Fees: Free.

7. Shirtee

Shirtee is a green and cheap shirt print-on-demand supplier based in Germany, offering 50 products and 4000 product variants in its inventory.

The company adopts resource-saving production processes and purchase eco textiles from renowned sustainable manufacturers to minimize environmental impacts.

Moreover, Shirtee uses neo-pigment ink from Kornit, which is free of heavy metals, formaldehyde, alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE), and harmless for humans and nature. Plus, the ink is water-based and biodegradable. The shipping packages also consist of only recyclable paper and cardboard.

A special feature of Shirtee is warehousing, which allows you to send your goods to its warehouse. Then, Shirtee will help you store and distribute them efficiently to your customers all over the world.

Pros

• Worldwide delivery within 2-12 days via DHL, DPD, Deutsche Post, GLS and UPS.
• Support custom branding ($0.34 for flyers/order, $0.40 for stickers/order, $1.17 for custom packaging/order, and $0.34 for washing labels/order).
• Good and easy-to-use returns management system.
• Accept Paypal and credit cards.
• Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, ShopWare, PrestaShop, Wix, Squarespace, Magento, Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

Cons

• Can take up to 5 days to process orders.
• Lack a wide range of products.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: €8.36.
• Shipping Costs: From $4.92.
• Subscription Fees: Free.

8. Shirtigo

Shirtigo is another German eco-friendly & sustainable print-on-demand company with 50 print-on-demand products and no MOQ.

To avoid the generation of radioactive waste during production, it utilizes green electricity from 100% renewable energies. And, similar to Shirtee, Shirtigo purchases organic textiles from Stanley/Stella and vegan inks from Kornit. Plus, plastic-free shipping packaging is adopted.

Pros

• Worldwide shipping within 5-7 days to most US/EU countries.
• Volume discounts.
• Branding solutions.
• Pay with Paypal and major credit/debit cards.
• Connect with Shopify, WooCommerce, Shopware, PrestaShop, eBay, and Etsy.

Cons

• Can take 5 days to manufacture products.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From €10.65.
• Shipping Costs: From €3.50 for the first product and €1.00 for each additional one.
• Subscription Fees: No.

9. TwoFifteen

Following, we have TwoFifteen. It’s an ethical & organic print-on-demand company and fast dropshipping supplier in the UK, giving you access to a catalog of 200 personalizable t-shirts, hoodies, vests, activewear, salvage, aprons, babywear, drinkware, homeware, giftware, and art prints.

TwoFifteen uses earth-friendly mailing bags made from 100% recycled materials. For larger orders, custom-made plain double wall cardboard boxes are used. Since November 2018, TwoFifteen has also started donating garments that don’t pass quality control to charity to reduce the amount of waste disposed of.

Pros

• Worldwide delivery within 14 working days via Royal Mail.
• Pay with Paypal and credit/debit cards.
• Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Squarespace, and BigCartel.

Cons

• Up to 5 days of production times.
• No custom labeling and packaging solutions.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: £9.19.
• Shipping Costs: Starting from $3.49.
• Subscription Fees: Free.

10. KinCustom

KinCustom is an end-to-end ethical & eco-friendly print-on-demand supplier with manufacturing centers in China.

Having over 10 years of experience, it understands the supply chain industry and can offer innovative custom products with fast turnarounds and minimal environmental impact. All of the goods from KinCustom are handmade to order, crafted with ethically sourced materials, and delivered in 100% recycled packages.

Besides print-on-demand items, KinCustom gives you access to a vast collection of uniquely pre-designed products that you can start dropshipping right away.

Pros

• International shipping within 7-10 business days via DHL, FedEx, UPS, and USPS.
• Bulk order discounts (Up to 45%).
• Custom branding sets at $1.99/product.
• Support Paypal and credit/debit cards.
• Integrations with Etsy, Shopify, Big Cartel, Weebly, Squarespace, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce.

Cons

• Might take at least 3 days to fulfill orders.
• Fairly expensive products.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From $16.50.
• Shipping Costs: Flat-rate shipping fees ($4.99 for Economy shipping and $6.99 for Premium shipping).
• Subscription Fees: No.

11. Spreadshirt

Spreadshirt has been in the print-on-demand industry for over 20 years and produces a vast collection of organic & sustainable t-shirts.

It carefully selects textile suppliers that follow environmental regulations, practice standard working hours, and treat all employees fairly and according to the principle of equality. Additionally, the wages must meet the basic needs of the employees and never fall below the legally prescribed minimum wage.

Spreadshirt also donates returned clothes to youth centers, schools, sports clubs, children’s aid services, rooming houses, and aid agencies in Germany and Europe.

Pros

• Worldwide delivery within 30 days via USPS and FedEx.
• Produce orders under 48 hours.
• Pay with Paypal and credit cards.
• Integrate with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and Order Desk (Via SPOD).

Cons

• No custom labeling and packaging.
• Long shipping times to non US/EU countries.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From $14.
• Shipping Costs: From $3.99.
• Subscription Fees: No.

12. CustomInk

The final eco-friendly & ethical print-on-demand company to take a look at is CustomInk. Based in the US, it has been named to Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 500” list of America’s fastest-growing private companies and recognized as a “Great Place to Work” by Washingtonian Magazine.

With innovative tools and a team of artists, CustomInk dedicates to bringing your ideas and passions to life as easily and perfectly as possible.

On here, you can find a wide range of custom environmentally-friendly items, ranging from shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets, polo shirts, sweatpants, uniforms, team jerseys, hats, bags, office supplies, drinkware, and gifts.

Pros

• International delivery via UPS and USPS with an average shipping time of 14 days.
• Fast processing times.
• Pay with credit/debit cards and checks.

Cons

• Some products have MOQ.
• No integrations.

Pricing

• Eco-Friendly T-Shirts: From $13.
• Shipping Costs: Free delivery within the US. International fees are based on the number of products.
• Subscription Fees: No.

Conclusion

Hopefully, with these 12 print-on-demand dropshipping companies, you will be able to start implementing ethical & eco-friendly practices to your business and increase your customer satisfaction.

For additional information on starting dropshipping successfully, check out our complete dropshipping checklist.