ETIRA welcomes delay to UKCA requirements
October 7, 2021
A one-year delay to the mandatory requirement for businesses to adopt the UK Conformity Assessment (UKCA) mark has been welcomed by ETIRA.
The European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association (ETIRA) raised its concerns around the challenges the new mark would bring for its members, in July this year.
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UKCA markingNew certification initiative introduced by ETIRA
September 15, 2021
The European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association (ETIRA) has launched a new certification label to help customers distinguish between printing cartridges which are better for the environment than others.
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ETIRA Certification MarkCanon patent on remanufacturing revoked following opposition by ETIRA
July 30, 2021
A remanufacturing patent, granted to Canon in 2014, has been revoked after a lengthy opposition campaign by the European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association (ETIRA).
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canonremanufacturing
ETIRA warns members of challenges ahead following introduction of UKCA marking
July 29, 2021
The European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association (ETIRA) is warning its members of challenges ahead, following new guidance issued by the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
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UKCA markingETIRA welcomes VA’s move under DG Environment
July 20, 2021
Following the news that the EU’s Voluntary Agreement has moved under DG Environment, rather DG Energy, ETIRA president Javier Martinez, said:
“This is a very clear support for a sector which, in terms of reducing energy consumption during the product use phase, has reached its limits.
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EU Voluntary AgreementETIRA supports U.S. Congressman Joe Morelle’s Fair Repair Act
June 24, 2021
Javier Martinez, president of ETIRA, said: “ETIRA is very pleased to see the US Congressman introducing the Fair Repair Act.
“We represent inkjet and toner cartridge remanufacturers across the EU and have been lobbying the EU for a right to repair for many years now. The recent EU Green Deal should deliver a compulsory Right to Repair, and the EU’s Sustainable Product policy should ensure that products are designed in such a way that they can be easily reused (eco-design). Cartridges are textbook products for repair, but original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) use many ways to block reuse.
“The Fair Repair Act will mean that businesses and consumers will no longer be held hostage by the OEM and will have the right to repair their own products.
“This is a very important Bill that will help to reduce waste and lower prices for repair in the USA, and we fully support this and hope that the EU will take steps to improve regulations for remanufacturers across the EU.”
For more on this please visit https://morelle.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-joe-morelle-introduces-fair-repair-act
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Fair Repair ActReuse
US Congressman Joseph Morelle
ETIRA talks Green Deal with EU Commission
June 16, 2021
In late May, ETIRA President Javier Martinez spoke with representatives of the EU Commissioners about cartridge reuse. The short online meeting came as a reply to our 2020 request for a general discussion with the EU on the Green Deal.
During the meeting, President Javier Martinez (pictured left) underscored the need to have cartridge reuse included in related EU policies such as the Green Deal and Circular Economy, and more specifically in the EU Sustainable Product policy and the EU ecodesign policy. We stressed that cartridge reuse is textbook circularity and merits full support from the EU Commission and the Member States to grow its market share. We asked for EU action against OEM tactics prohibiting reuse and against imports of single-use non-OEM newbuilt cartridges. We also insisted that the EU’s 2020 Green Public Procurement criteria that support the use of remanufactured cartridges should become mandatory across the Member States. Regarding the VA, we reiterated our position click here.
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Green DealEU Voluntary Agreement: final draft is being evaluated by the EU and stakeholders
Early April, printer manufacturers’ group EuroVAprint sent the latest draft text to the EU Commission for evaluation. The text of the VA is not in the public domain yet but based on the penultimate version of the VA, Consultation Forum meetings and Minutes of the Subgroup on Targets published here: https://www.eurovaprint.eu/pages/voluntary-agreement/. It is believed to include a minimum percentage for cartridge reuse and details regarding firmware, signatories, and sub-signatories (see our info sent to Members during the last months).
Once it becomes public, the Board of ETIRA will determine its position on the proposal. As you know, ETIRA’s position to date is that we prefer regulation but could support a VA provided it meets our 3 key demands: a substantial compulsory minimum percentage of all produced cartridges to be reused as a cartridge, prohibition of all anti-reuse tools and tactics like firmware updates, chips/chip resetting, embedded software etc., and a stop to imports of polluting and unhealthy non-OEM newbuilt cartridges at the EU border.
Given the considerable importance for everyone in the cartridge remanufacturing industry, we also ask ETIRA members to study the papers and give us their views. See here for updates/details: https://www.eurovaprint.eu/pages/voluntary-agreement/
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EU Voluntary AgreementDutch authorities tested compatible toners for bromides: 4 brands exceed legal limits
In the last few months, the Dutch health and safety regulator ILT tested 35 private label toner cartridges supplied by seven different companies sold in The Netherlands. Test results showed that four toners had levels of the illegal flame retardant bromide exceeding the legal limit, and one toner even contained lead. These toners have now been removed from the market. ETIRA learned that ILT would not conduct additional tests because they have other IT items with higher RoHS/REACH violation rates.
Although ILT did not name the brands found to be infringing, ETIRA knows that the tested products were single-use toners from Asia. In 2019/2020, ETIRA and other market players conducted similar tests. They found that no less than 7 in 8 toners tested contained flame retardant DecaBDE levels that exceeded EU health and safety levels. Following those shocking findings, ETIRA called on regulators in European Union Member States to strengthen market surveillance and test 3-rd country toners for conformity with ROHS and REACH compliance to seize these dangerous toners posing a health risk to EU consumers.