Eco-friendly custom t-shirt printing in Los Angeles starts with the shirt. Choose a certified organic cotton blank such as the Stanley/Stella Creator 2.0, labeled GOTS organic in Stanley/Stella's product data. Print it with water-based ink, pick the undyed Natural Raw color where the design allows, and order to your real size list.
French Press Custom is an official Stanley/Stella dealer in Santa Fe Springs, printing for Los Angeles and Orange County since 2010. Every garment figure below comes from Stanley/Stella's product API. Get an exact price for your quantity and print in our quote calculator, or browse the full range on our Stanley/Stella hub.
What makes a custom t-shirt eco-friendly?
Four choices do most of the work: the fiber, the certification behind it, the shirt color and how many shirts you order. Stanley/Stella publishes carbon and water figures for each garment, so you can compare shirts with numbers instead of slogans. The print method then comes down to look, feel and quantity.
| Choice | What to look for | Stanley/Stella example |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 100% organic cotton | Creator 2.0: 100% organic ring spun combed cotton |
| Certification | Labels you can name | GOTS organic, OEKO-TEX organic garment, PETA-Approved Vegan, Fair Wear member brand |
| Color | Undyed fabric | Natural Raw, the lowest listed carbon and water in every tee in the table below |
| Quantity | Your real size list | Creator 2.0 runs XXS to 5XL, so fewer people get a size that will not be worn |
| Ink that suits 100% cotton | Water-based and discharge screen printing |
What "cradle to gate" and "cradle to grave" mean, and what each certification covers, is explained in how sustainable is a custom t-shirt.
Can you water-based screen print on organic cotton in Los Angeles?
Yes. We screen print with water-based and discharge inks at our Santa Fe Springs shop, and Stanley/Stella's 100% organic cotton tees are a natural base for both. Water-based ink soaks into the fibers instead of sitting on top, so the print has almost no feel, and 100% cotton is what these inks need to work at their best.
- Water-based on light shirts. On White or Natural Raw, the ink becomes part of the fabric for a soft print.
- Discharge on dark cotton. Discharge removes the garment dye where the print lands and replaces it with your color, so a bright print on a dark shirt needs no heavy white underbase.
- We test first. Discharge depends on how the specific dye releases, and dye lots can vary, so we test a shirt from your run before printing the whole order.
- Minimum. Screen printing starts at 36 pieces per design.
More detail is on our water-based and discharge printing page, in discharge screen printing explained, and in why Stanley/Stella blanks print so well.
Which Stanley/Stella tees have the lowest footprint?
The lighter organic cotton tees in Natural Raw have the lowest listed figures. Of the 36 styles with published figures, the women's Stella Nova in Natural Raw is lowest at 1.28 kg CO2 eq cradle to gate. For a unisex tee, the Crafter in Natural Raw is listed at 1.53 kg, and the Creator 2.0 at 1.83 kg.
Figures are per garment, cradle to gate, from the Stanley/Stella product API. Carbon is kg CO2 eq, water is cubic meters.
| Tee | Weight and fit | Carbon, dyed | Carbon, Natural Raw | Water, dyed | Water, Natural Raw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stella Nova, women's boxy tee | 4.6 oz, relaxed fit | 1.63 | 1.28 | 0.78 | 0.49 |
| Stella Serena, women's scoop neck | 4.6 oz, medium fit | 1.66 | 1.34 | 0.74 | 0.45 |
| Stella Muser, women's midweight | 5.3 oz, medium fit | 1.86 | 1.50 | 0.86 | 0.52 |
| Crafter, unisex | 4.6 oz, medium fit | 1.89 | 1.53 | 0.86 | 0.52 |
| Creator 2.0, unisex | 5.3 oz, medium fit | 2.28 | 1.83 | 1.09 | 0.66 |
| Sparker 2.0, unisex | 6.3 oz, relaxed fit | 2.99 | 2.41 | 1.44 | 0.95 |
| Blaster 2.0, unisex mock neck | 5.9 oz, oversized | 3.14 | 2.50 | 1.59 | 0.95 |
| Freestyler, unisex | 7 oz, relaxed fit | 3.31 | 2.58 | 1.64 | 1.00 |
Weights are ounces per square yard. All eight tees are 100% organic cotton and carry the GOTS organic label in Stanley/Stella's data.
Two things stand out. First, Natural Raw beats the dyed colors on every tee here, for both carbon and water. Second, lighter tees broadly sit lower: the 4.6 oz tees are near the bottom and the 7 oz Freestyler is at the top. To total a whole order, enter a style and quantity in our impact calculator.
Does the print method change how eco-friendly the shirt is?
Stanley/Stella's cradle-to-grave figure counts decoration as one step, alongside transport, use and disposal, but its data gives one figure per color, not one per print method. So the shirt is where the published numbers are. Choose the print method for look, feel and quantity.
- Screen printing, 36 pieces and up. Water-based or discharge ink for a soft hand on 100% cotton, best with 1 to 4 spot colors.
- DTG, no minimum. Softest on White or Natural Raw, where the ink soaks into the cotton. See DTG printing on Stanley/Stella shirts.
- DTF, 12 pieces and up. Full color on any shirt color. See DTF printing on Stanley/Stella.
- Embroidery, 24 pieces and up. A small logo for staff and company gear.
All four side by side: screen printing vs DTG vs DTF vs embroidery.
What about hoodies and tote bags?
Stanley/Stella's fleece and bags use different fibers from the tees. Most hoodies and sweatshirts are 80% organic cotton with 20% recycled polyester, labeled GOTS "made with 80% organic cotton". The tote bags are 100% recycled cotton with a GRS label, a good add-on for an eco-minded event or store opening.
- Cruiser 2.0 hoodie. 80% organic ring spun combed cotton, 20% recycled polyester, 10.3 oz, XXS to 5XL, 47 colors. In Natural Raw it is listed at 6.2 kg CO2 eq cradle to gate against 8.13 kg in dyed colors.
- Tote Bag. 100% recycled open end cotton, 8.8 oz, GRS 100CTTN and OEKO-TEX recycled labels, 10 colors.
- Shopping Bag 2.0. The same recycled cotton at 11.8 oz, with a hidden snap closure, in 5 colors.
Stanley/Stella's product data has no carbon and water figures for the two bags. For logos on fleece, read embroidery on Stanley/Stella hoodies and sweatshirts.
Our take
For an eco-friendly order in Los Angeles, we steer most clients to the Creator 2.0 in Natural Raw with a water-based screen print: GOTS organic, the lowest listed footprint of its style, and a print you can barely feel. If the run is under 36, DTG on the same shirt keeps the soft hand. If you want the lightest footprint we can document, the Crafter or a women's Stella style in Natural Raw goes lower still. Stanley/Stella explains its approach on its sustainability page, and the Creator 2.0 color range is on its product page.
Ordering from Los Angeles or Orange County
- Where we are. 14130 Rosecrans Ave, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670, serving Los Angeles and Orange County. Pickup is free, or we ship by UPS or FedEx anywhere in the US.
- Minimums. DTG none, DTF 12, embroidery 24, screen printing 36 pieces per design.
- Timing. About 2-3 weeks after art approval. Rush available depending on the schedule. Tell us your date.
- Contact. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm PT, (562) 407-3800, sales@frenchpresscustom.com.
Quote a Natural Raw Creator 2.0.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get eco-friendly custom t-shirts printed in Los Angeles?
French Press Custom in Santa Fe Springs is an official Stanley/Stella dealer printing GOTS organic cotton tees for Los Angeles and Orange County, with water-based and discharge screen printing, DTG, DTF and embroidery. Standard turnaround is about 2-3 weeks after art approval.
Do you offer water-based screen printing on organic cotton?
Yes. We screen print water-based and discharge inks on Stanley/Stella's 100% organic cotton tees, from 36 pieces per design. For discharge, we test a shirt from your run first, because dye lots can vary.
Which shirt color is the most sustainable?
Natural Raw, the undyed color. On every tee in our table it has lower listed carbon and water than the dyed colors. On the Creator 2.0 it is 1.83 kg CO2 eq against 2.28 kg, cradle to gate.
What is the lowest-impact Stanley/Stella t-shirt?
Of the 36 styles with published figures, the women's Stella Nova in Natural Raw is lowest, at 1.28 kg CO2 eq and 0.49 cubic meters of water cradle to gate. For a unisex tee, the Crafter in Natural Raw is listed at 1.53 kg.
Are Stanley/Stella tote bags recycled?
Yes. The Tote Bag and Shopping Bag 2.0 are 100% recycled open end cotton, with GRS 100CTTN and OEKO-TEX recycled labels in Stanley/Stella's data. Stanley/Stella does not publish carbon and water figures for them.
Can I order eco-friendly shirts without a minimum?
Yes, with DTG, which has no minimum at our shop. A Creator 2.0 in White or Natural Raw gives the softest DTG print. Screen printing starts at 36 pieces per design, embroidery at 24 and DTF at 12.
