UKCRA keeps up the campaign pressure for wider cartridge reuse and sends position paper to the UK government and EU.
UKCRA, the United Kingdom Cartridge Remanufacturers Association has made a strong case for wider reuse of cartridge consumables in response to the EU Public Consultation on Circular Economy.
In its submission, UKCRA addresses the huge environmental and economic potential that cartridge remanufacturing offers and identifies the drivers and barriers for cartridge remanufacturing and the alternative types of business models in the cartridge market as well as areas where further EU regulation or incentives may be needed to enable cartridge remanufacturing to play its full role in the circular economy.
According to UKCRA, “Remanufacturing helps to minimise the impact of EU activities on climate change and the environment. The circular economy provides a further benefit in that its construction and operation work towards improving resource security for the EU, particularly in an era in which there is greater demand being placed on the earth’s limited resources.”
The submission further comments “Studies of the impact of climate change indicate that it is critically important for the EU to put in place mitigation and adaptation measures to ensure a viable future. For this reason, UKCRA (and its members) have investigated and reported on greenhouse gas emissions associated with cartridge remanufacturing as well as benefits associated with carbon reduction of printing activities.”
UKCRA is calling for products to be designed for remanufacture as an enabler for the circular economy. UKCRA also addresses in the position paper the various barriers to reuse that would need to be addressed to facilitate a more circular economy model. The barriers include technical, legal, commercial and economic barriers as well as legislative barriers.
UKCRA has been at the vanguard of remanufacturing and sustainability for over 25 years and the UKCRA submission reflects the skills, experience, knowledge, capability and insights of its members. Members of UKCRA supply all types of remanufactured printer consumables, including toner cartridges, drum/imaging units, fuser units, inkjet cartridges, and ribbon cartridges extending their life through multiple life cycles. A number of UKCRA members also purchase used printers that have been discarded for one reason or another and refurbish to ‘like new’ condition with equivalent warranties.
