Printer manufacturers urge European consumers and public buyers to look for the WEEE logo when buying printer cartridges.

Brussels - Fewer printer cartridges are expected to end up in landfill and more will be properly recycled or reused following the European Commission’s confirmation that remanufacturers of printer cartridges must fulfil their environmental and financial obligations like any other producer, whether it is an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or a third-party producer. Responding to a question by EuroVAprint, the European Commission clarified that the remanufacturers, refillers and any other third-party cartridge producer should comply with European law and more specifically with the existing Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive.   

The WEEE Directive (applied in all 28 EU Member States) imposes several obligations on producers of electrical and electronic equipment with regards to collection and proper treatment of waste, aiming to reduce the impact of e-waste on the environment. Complying with the WEEE Directive means that not only OEM but also remanufacturers need to register, report and finance the take-back of waste from the products they sell. European consumers and public buyers should look for and check that the printer cartridges they buy – remanufactured or not – carry the WEEE logo on the packaging, instructions for use, warranty and/ or on the cartridge.

“Printer and copier manufacturers have been delivering consistently impressive energy efficiency results with positive environmental impact during recent years. We are very pleased that the Commission supports this effort by confirming that manufacturers of not only new but also any third party-cartridges placed on the EU market under their own trademark need to follow tEuhe same rules. Enforcement is crucial if we want to see further positive results,” said Sara Rodriguez Martinez, President of EuroVAprint.

EuroVAprint, grouping  all  major  manufacturers  of  imaging  equipment  that  operate in Europe, serves as a platform to ensure the implementation and monitoring of a Voluntary Agreement on imaging equipment concluded in 2011 and sanctioned by the Commission as an implementing measure under the Ecodesign Directive. Its commitments are aimed at curbing the environmental footprint of imaging equipment for home and office use - copiers, printers, fax machines and multifunction devices. EuroVAprint has delivered impressive energy efficiency results for five years in a row: the signatories achieved energy consumption cuts of 46,2% over the period 2011-2016 for inkjet products.