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Remanufactured Ink Cartridges Are The Greener Choice
Tue Apr 12, 2022
With increasing environmental awareness sweeping through nations around the world, sustainable technologies are being created to promote eco-friendly lifestyle choices. Companies, both those manufacturing and those purchasing, are working hard together to create a greener future. An industry that has adapted and overcome the growing pains of sustainable practices is print.
As shocking as it might sound, eco-friendly print does exist.
With innovative new designs meant to maximize output while reducing waste, print technology has progressed consciously into the future. Print companies have redesigned and rethought the ways of old, empowering companies to make sustainable decisions.
As Forbes magazine so aptly puts it, “technology companies are the connective tissue of the global business apparatus.” (Forbes). It is then technology companies’ responsibility to make informed choices. Nowhere is this more relevant than the shifting dynamics of the print industry.
When companies like yours make informed decisions about what print technology they’re purchasing, as well as their print supplies, it creates a tidal wave of change.
Understanding Sustainability and Customer Buying Preferences
Putting your environmental foot forward means first understanding what sustainability is and how it works. To avoid further damaging our planet, people and companies have united to protect our valuable natural resources. Sustainability is about being mindful of our planet’s needs and avoiding the depletion of its natural resources.
These practices vary from economic strategies, encouraging social consciousness, and protecting the environment.
Every day, companies are rethinking their strategies to adapt to the increasingly popular expectations of the public to protect the planet. Customers are being taught to make purchases with a discerning eye, looking out for companies who don’t have their sustainability goals clearly outlined and readily available.
Every action that a company takes is understood to have a reaction. And now more than ever, companies are expected to think not only of the financial cost of their purchases, but also calculate the cost of “how it impacts the world we all share” (Forbes).
Smart buyers are no longer investing their time or money on companies who aren’t thinking about sustainability and recognize that ignoring the problem is hurting others in society.
Every area of your company needs to be working on building stronger sustainability goals. Including your printing practices.
One increasingly popular decision for companies in terms of printing is to purchase remanufactured cartridges. The reason for this is that remanufactured cartridges not only save companies money, but also help save the environment.
Remanufactured Ink Cartridges
Remanufactured ink cartridges are empty cartridges that are sent back to be repurposed and reused. These cartridges provide users with generic brand ink of similar quality to an OEM (brand name) cartridge.
The empty cartridges are often collected through community recycling programs or fundraising initiatives. The hope is that less used cartridges will end up in landfills, thus helping to reduce our collective carbon footprint.
Choosing remanufactured cartridges doesn’t mean choosing a lower quality product, either. All the cartridges go through thorough inspection to ensure quality.
The Process of Remanufacturing Ink Cartridges
- All the recycled cartridges are sorted by part number and sent to be stored in temperature-controlled environments.
- The cartridges are inspected for damages to ensure they’re still in good condition.
- The remaining ink that lingers in the recycled cartridge is cleaned out using a high-powered cleaning system.
- Each cartridge is then dried and vacuumed out.
- Custom ink is filled into the new cartridge with the same specs as the OEM brands.
- If the cartridges use smart chips, then a new one is installed to ensure the printer recognizes the remanufactured brand.
- The cartridges then go through their final inspections, are sealed to prevent leaking, and a page yield test is conducted.
- Once the cartridge has passed this inspection, it’s cleaned off again before being packed and shipped out for use.
Clover Cartridges: One Green Foot Forward
Just like with OEMs, there are several remanufactured brands to choose from. While all cartridge companies, both OEM and remanufactured, participate in some level of sustainability, there are some that go above and beyond.
One such company is Clover Imaging Group, which UniTech is proud to support!
Knowing that your purchases are going to help protect the planet is invaluable. Joining together with other like-minded organizations is key to developing a strong sustainability plan that will protect our planet for years to come.
Clover Imaging Group has focused their efforts on creating a sustainable product and encourages everyone to reflect on how they can engage and educate employees to make them more environmentally aware.
Clover is focused on achieving the sustainability goals that they set for themselves. Their initiatives include minimizing their carbon impact, prioritizing remanufacturing and reclaiming as much reusable material as possible, minimizing waste, and exceeding global industry practices for responsible materials recycling.
Through their recycling and reforestation program, Clover Imaging Group has already made several positive changes in the world.
They have managed to:
- Collect 24,835,893 units of empty cartridges and parts that were diverted from landfills to be remanufactured or recycled.
- Reforest 81,995 trees in 2020.
- Offset the consumption of printed pages by 5,689,074,226 between the years of 2015 to 2020.
Choosing remanufactured cartridges means that your company is taking the more sustainable route when it comes to printing. Remanufactured cartridges reduce waste, and their carbon footprint is 2 kg lower (approximately 46% less) than that of a new cartridge (Clover).
Clover Imaging Group cartridges are also produced exclusively in North America, which helps to streamline the remanufacturing and recycling process (Clover). It also helps to conserve the fossil fuel emissions burned by ensuring there is a shorter supply chain.
And the benefits don’t stop there.
Not only are remanufactured Clover cartridges better for the environment, they also help companies reduce their printing costs by up to 30% (Clover).
Pair this with buying local, and your company can achieve new sustainability heights.
Save The Planet, Shop Local!
Just as we stated earlier, every action has a reaction. And purchasing through big tech companies is no exception to this rule.
Large tech companies are responsible for consuming a lot of the world’s resources. Right now, the data estimates, for example, that Amazon’s fuel emissions alone went up 69% in 2020. Amazon emitted 60.64 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, which is essentially the equivalent of burning through 140 million barrels of oil (Tanya Goodin).
One factor for these high numbers is the delivery and warehouse emissions that are produced by Amazon each year. To reach their ever-increasing number of customers, more and more energy must be consumed.
To squash this ever-growing number of fossil fuel emissions, it’s important for your company to consider your options wisely when making purchases. Choosing to buy from your local tech company and picking remanufactured options can be more sustainable choices.
UniTech’s partnership with Clover is one that benefits our customers and the planet. By choosing to buy not only Clover products, but also buying from a locally owned company, you’re choosing to put the planet first.
To learn more about our partnership with Clover Imaging Group, we encourage our customers to read our environmental initiatives. And if you have any questions, or would like to talk about how you can make sustainable choices for your company, contact us today.