| Over the past several months, InfoTrends has spoken with numerous important players in the supplies industry regarding their supplies collection programs, including six major printer OEMs, 13 remanufacturers, and 12 brokers in the U.S. and Europe. These conversations made it clear that supplies recycling holds varying degrees of importance based on a company’s position in the market. OEMs collect empty cartridges as a way to do their part for the environment, but these collection programs can be expensive to operate. Remanufacturers and brokers, however, collect empty cartridges because they can often be sold or remanufactured.
While cartridge collection initiatives have been going on for years, remanufacturers and brokers are constantly seeking new ways to collect cartridges more efficiently—not only because empty cartridges are the lifeblood of their businesses, but also because they want to be viewed as environmentally friendly companies. Nevertheless, in the future, emphasis will not only be placed on collecting cartridges, but also on what happens to the cartridges after they have been collected. The recycling process itself will be scrutinized, largely by government agencies. This will be particularly true in Europe, where there is increased pressure to participate in programs for recycling and re-use. More U.S.-based organizations will start examining these efforts as well. This means that companies must develop processes that reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfills or burnt without any sort of energy recovery. Additional emphasis will be placed on recycling and re-using parts, as this is the most environmentally friendly way to process these products.
The increased focus on the disposal of empty cartridges brings to light a dilemma for all parties involved: some OEMs (notably Lexmark and Xerox) are beginning to recognize that re-use could be better than recycling. The aftermarket has always championed the idea that re-using cartridges is more environmentally friendly than recycling, and this line of thinking enables aftermarket businesses to function. The re-use versus recycle issue is still being debated, and OEMs and remanufacturing lobbyists are presenting their points of view in an attempt to influence future legislation.
The recycling issue is a topic of interest for all parties involved, including OEM printer manufacturers, remanufacturers, and brokers. The goal of this particular study was to obtain a better idea about current practices and program evolutions. This report also borrowed from previous end-user research conducted at the end of 2005 regarding customers’ attitudes and practices in relation to cartridge recycling. This document will first cover the information obtained from the phone interviews, and results of end-user research from the U.S. and Europe will follow.
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