Green procurement of printers and copiers

Analyze printer and copier procurement

The preliminary questions are:

1. Do you need the printer or copier at all? Can you reduce the number of printers?
2. Are there any older ones inside the organization that can be refurbished?
3. Can you buy printing and/or copying services instead of installing equipment?

Important:

1. Always determine the necessary capacity and function of each device (How many people will use it? How many pages are printed or copied on average? Do they need color printing and copying? etc.)
2. Use central printers and copiers wherever possible, instead of the principle of “a printer for every computer” and “a copier for every room”.
3. Use multi-functional devices.
   
   

Environmental aspects

Production
Printers and copying machines are produced from many materials in a complex process. Important points are:

1. The use of non-renewable natural resources (plastic parts)
2. The use of harmful chemicals for flame retardants and other harmful substances
3. The use of resources for packaging

Use
Despite the relatively short life-cycle, the most important environmental effect emerges during the usage phase in the form of energy used, the use of inks and consumables, etc. Additionally, there are effects on the health of users, these are:

1. Ozone, styrene and dust emissions
2. Noise

Waste
The many different materials used cause a severe problem of wastage. Most of the materials can be recycled. A (free of charge) take-back system for recycling should be taken into account when purchasing computers and monitors. Printer consumables (toners and cartridges) also create waste throughout the life of the machine.


Cost aspects

Life cycle costs

1. Savings in energy costs can be made by using energy management programs.
2. The use of consumables: toners and cartridges for inks and paper. Here, savings can be made by, for example, printing draft versions of documents in the economy mode. A device for double-sided printing/copying also saves paper.
3. A smaller part of the life-cycle cost relates to maintenance and disposal.

For more information about green procurement go to EU Green Public Procurement.

Protect the Environment with Remanufactured Ink and Toner

Recycling is one of the best ways to protect the environment. There are countless ways to recycle. One new method involves reusing empty printer cartridges. Remanufactured cartridges reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills across the world.

What is a Remanufactured Cartridge?

A remanufactured printer cartridge is made of used parts from empty cartridges. During the remanufacturing procedure, each empty printer cartridge is closely examined for damages. If it passes examination, the cartridge is carefully cleaned and refilled with ink or toner. It is then repackaged and ready for use by consumers like you!

Why Buy Remanufactured Cartridges?

The two main reasons to purchase remanufactured cartridges are because they cost less than original products and they help conserve natural resources.

Remanufactured ink and toner cartridges are often half the price of store-bought cartridges. If you or your company prints a lot of documents, you could save hundreds of dollars each year by purchasing refilled cartridges.

New printer cartridges are made from valuable natural resources such as aluminum and steel. Remanufactured cartridges, on the other hand, are made from recycled products. In this way, refilled cartridges protect natural resources and help the environment because they reuse the aluminum, plastic, and rubber of empty cartridges. If everyone used remanufactured printer cartridges, just imagine the difference it could make.

What are wide-format printers?

Though few households and offices actually need them, wide-format printers are specialized printing devices that are in high demand. These wide-format printers address a requirement for special printing jobs that regular printers cannot produce.

Such printing jobs are usually architectural, engineering or artistic in nature. Examples of printing jobs requiring wide-format printers are engineering or architectural drafts and sketches, banners and general signage, posters, picture enlargements and other large prints. Typically, wide-format printers make prints that are 17 to 100 inches wide. The printing materials used for wide-format printers usually come in rolls rather than in individual sheets.

Wide-format printers are not machines commonly found in homes or offices. They are more often found in offices where companies prefer to do their own printing jobs, or in print shops or copy shops. Many people find it more desirable to have their large format printing needs done with a wide-format printer rather than, say, through screen printing because it is more economical to do so.

Different brands of wide-format printers make use of different types of printing technology, based largely on what they are meant to be used for. Some wide-format printers are inkjet printers, while some are laser printers. There are also wide-format printers that use thermal transfers in making prints, and there are some that use electrostatic instead.

There are many manufacturers of wide-format printers, but among the leaders in the industry are Hewlett-Packard, Canon, Kip, Xerox and Oce.

Can ink cartridges be recycled?

Customer involvement is vital to the remanufacturing process, and recycling keeps tons of plastic out of landfills ever year. By the way, some companies give out free mailers so you can return empty cartridges to them "for free." Don't give away that empty cartridge; many office supply retailers will "buy" empty ink cartridges by offering discount ink cartridges when you trade in the old one. If you do plan to recycle, take empty inkjet cartridges from the printer immediately, put them in a plastic bag with a small scrap of wet paper towel and recycle as soon as possible.

Sustainable industry - toner and ink cartridges

Printing, copying and faxing are common activities in the office environment. A major consumable from this activity is toner or ink cartridges. This has environmental implications for resource efficiency, toxic materials and waste generation.

Users of toner and ink cartridges who wish to help reduce these impacts can choose to take the actions recommended below.

1. Refer to ecolabels

Prefer products with a third-party audited life cycle ecolabel, or can show that they meet similar criteria. Choosing life cycle ecolabelled products ensures toxic components in toner and other ingredients is minimised.

2. Buy recycled

Prefer remanufactured cartridges with a performance guarantee, or new cartridges containing post-consumer recycled content.

3. Reduce your demand for printing by, for example:

* using electronic versions instead of paper copies
* setting fonts and margins to improve the efficiency of printing.

4. Reduce waste to landfill

Send your used toner cartridges to a recycling programme. (Take-back systems are offered through the major office supply companies as well as some office equipment suppliers.)

5. Prefer packaging which has recycled content and is recyclable.