Re-using empty cartridges: Why ?

Today, most consumers simply throw away their empty printer cartridges after use. These empties then wind up in landfill or are incinerated, polluting the environment and wasting costly base materials.

The Better Way: Remanufactured cartridges
Since a few years, there is a better way: Simply collect your empty cartridges, and give them to an established remanufacturer, member of ETIRA. He will disassemble, clean, refill and engineer the empty cartridge to become new, and then bring it back to market under his own-brand. And always at a price well below the cost of a new cartridge!

Do yourself and the environment a favour
Buying remanufactured cartridges is doing yourself a favour. They are of the same or better quality as the new product, but you can get them for much less! But you not only save money; you are also helping the environment ! Re-using spent cartridges saves energy, and avoids having to produce new ones, thus saving the earths precious and costly natural resources like aluminium (bauxite), oil and timber.

Remanufactured cartridges are more environment-friendly than new ones. This clear onclusion was drawn by a study by 2 students of the University of Kalmar, Sweden in 2002. The environmental footprint of a product is measured by means of a so-called Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), which measures it total environmental footprint throughout its product life span, from design to discarding.
Ask ETIRA for a copy of that Swedish study.

A 2006 presentation by academics from the University of Linkoping, Sweden lists the environmental pro's and con's of remanufacturing. Also this report (see table on page 451) clearly concludes that regarding toner cartridges, remanufacturing reduces the environmental impact by approx. 60% compared to production of a new cartridge !
Ask ETIRA if you would like to receive that presentation.