The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) named Lexmark as 2020 Design for Recycling award winner.
In recognition of its innovation and commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacture of new products, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) named Lexmark as its 2020 Design for Recycling (DFR) award winner.
The ISRS said that the DFR Award is its most prestigious award given annually to the most innovative contribution to products designed with recycling in mind. Lexmark received the award specifically for the design of its toner cartridges, of which 95% contain at least some post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content.
“As ISRI’s highest honour, the Design for Recycling Award recognises those who put recycling and sustainability at the forefront of their product design,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener. “Through the development of its toner cartridges from the initial concept stages all the way to end of life, Lexmark has worked to actively incorporate the design for recycling principles in every element. ISRI is proud to recognise Lexmark as the 2020 design for recycling award recipient, and we look forward to their continued work to design with recycling in mind.”
In addition to 95% of Lexmark toner cartridges containing some post-consumer recycled content, Lexmark reuses and recycles cartridge parts through planned cartridge design, selection of materials that work well with its recycling process, and enabling return of end-of-life cartridges for reuse and recycling. The company has its own R2 certified recycling centre where it aims to receive every cartridge back for recycling. Having its own recycling facility ensures that Lexmark has a higher return rate for its end of life cartridges, which it pays to have shipped to its facility, eliminating costs to the consumer.
“Lexmark provides sustainable solutions throughout the entire product lifecycle—from sustainable design to efficient use to responsible recycling,” said John Gagel, Chief Sustainability Officer, Lexmark. “Sustainable design is one of Lexmark’s key CSR pillars. Winning the DFR Award validates our commitment to using materials derived from sustainable sources that are designed to have minimal impact on the environment throughout the print lifecycle.”
Lexmark received the award during ISRI’s Virtual 2020 Awards Ceremony on 21 October.
To be eligible for ISRI’s Design for Recycling Award, a product must be designed/redesigned and manufactured to:
- Contain the maximum amount of materials that are recyclable
- Be easily recycled through current or newly designed recycling processes and procedures
- Be cost effective to recycle whereby the cost to recycle does not exceed the value of its recycled materials
- Be free of hazardous materials that are not recyclable or impede the recycling process
- Minimize the time and cost involved to recycle the product
- Reduce the use of raw materials by including recycled materials and/or components;
- Have a net gain in the overall recyclability of the product while reducing the overall negative impact on the environment
ISRI began presenting the award more than 10 years ago. Previous winners include Nestlé Waters North America, Dell Inc., EcoStrate, Samsung, LG Electronics, Inc., Cascades Fine Papers Group, Hewlett-Packard, The Herman Miller Company, and Wind Simplicity.
