Brother has recently launched a programme to remanufacture inkjet cartridges, which has the aim of helping customers to reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to the circular economy. The circular economy – giving devices, components etc a second life – is becoming increasingly important for many businesses as they seek to become more sustainable in their operations.
To this end, Brother has recently become the first print vendor to remanufacture its inkjet cartridges, as part of a new free service to help users contribute to circular economies.
Brother has launched a new inkjet cartridge remanufacturing line at its Recycling Technology Centre in Wrexham, North Wales, and expects to remanufacture more than two million inkjet cartridges a year once it is fully operational. Its investment in the new service will create 20 new jobs to add to its 185-strong workforce in Wrexham.
Same as new
Business and home users can return used ink cartridges free of charge to Brother. All consumables are then inspected, taken apart, cleaned and put together again, including any new parts required. The cartridges are then refilled with Brother Original ink, ensuring they are exactly the same quality as ‘new’ products.
“There is no difference in the performance and quality of our remanufactured consumables compared to ‘new’ ones, but the boost to sustainability is enormous,” says Craig McCubbin, managing director at Brother Industries UK. “By remanufacturing toners in the way we do, we cut CO2 emissions by about 5,300 tonnes every year and this will only increase as the ink remanufacturing line becomes fully operational.”
The process ensures that even damaged cartridges are repurposed or fully recycled with full traceability of parts to track how many times a cartridge has been remanufactured, with users encouraged to return inkjet cartridges over the last year to build stock ready for the line to begin operation.
“We know that businesses are always searching for new ways to boost sustainability, and many are turning to their print estate,” says Craig. “Resellers will form the cornerstone of plans to reduce emissions in print operations, connecting customers with the solutions to enable that. As an OEM, we’re arming partners with a new way to achieve that with this investment in our remanufacturing programme.
“Remanufacturing is going to play a pivotal role in helping the print industry significantly reduce its emissions and positively contribute to meeting net zero.
“This investment is just the start of a new era of innovation in Brother’s history, and it’s exciting to see how we can bolster resellers’ efforts to make a lasting positive impact on the print sector.”
Existing capability
The new service adds to its existing capability to remanufacture toner cartridges from laser printers. Brother has remanufactured more than 40 million toner cartridges globally since it began the service from Ruabon, near Wrexham, in 2004. In the two decades since, its specialist in-house engineering team has optimised the process, being accredited with the Blue Angel sustainability certification last year for its TN-3512 RE toner consisting of more than 75% of reused parts (by weight). A sister site in Slovakia makes the vendor the leading remanufacturer of used toners.
“Businesses are reviewing every option they have to reduce their emissions and to cut waste, including within their print estate,” says Craig. “Remanufacturing is playing an increasingly significant role, because of its contribution to the circular economy and extending the life of consumables. It’s a smart way to cut down on waste and to help businesses meet their green goals.
“We started remanufacturing toners 20 years ago, and now we’re proud to be the first print company to remanufacture inkjet cartridges, as we continue our approach to pioneer sustainability in the print sector.
“Customers can send used cartridges back to us at our site in Ruabon, where working parts are cleaned and reused to create consumables that look and perform just like new products.”
Working with resellers
Craig adds that resellers can get involved with the inkjet cartridge remanufacturing programme. “We know resellers are always looking for ways to support their customers’ sustainability goals, and our remanufacturing operations are another solution for them to offer businesses,” he says. “We work closely with resellers on tender documents, where sustainability can be given as much as a 40% weighting, to show how our products can help businesses reduce their emissions.
“We’re proud to be ahead of the curve when it comes to remanufacturing, but we know there is further to go and we’ll keep finding new ways to offer more sustainable printing solutions.”
The new service is available in 30 European countries and every new Brother ink cartridge comes with a free-post envelope for returns.
