HP embraces remanufacturing?
December 15, 2021
Recently, printer giant HP launched HP EvoCycle Toner Cartridge in the French market. The cartridge marketing describes it as an environment-friendly product and the most sustainable HP toner cartridge.
In a recent article HP that the new line of EvoCycle cartridges are made from “recycled components and reused parts from genuine HP cartridges.”
The French publication of L’Usinenouvelle reported on HP’s newly launched EvoCycle cartridge range which are made at Liffré recycling and production site in Brittany, France. According to the interview with Florent Vauchelle, Consumables Product Manager at HP France, “a total of 76% recycled and reused components with the same level of quality as standard HP cartridges” end up in the new products.
The report said: “While all HP toner cartridges contain recycled plastic components – between 5% and 45% depending on the model – from recycled HP cartridges, EvoCycle toner cartridges contain 100% recycled plastic, while ensuring the same quality, compared to standard HP cartridges.”
Vauchelle said in the interview that the new line is targeted at public and private companies, who are looking to reduce their environmental impact and are looking to achieve a more sustainability.
When asked about the demand for the product, Vauchelle confirmed that they saw a strong demand for the product, highlighting that “this trend is accentuated by legal constraints: the anti-waste law for a circular economy (AGEC) imposes on State services and local authorities a share of reuse and recycling in their purchases”.
Vauchelle concludes that “EvoCycle marks an important step in the march towards the circular economy” and that the company sees the new product line a step further towards achieving carbon neutrality from 2030 for its consumables.
A life cycle analysis commissioned by HP and conducted by Four Elements Consulting, LLC compared the EvoCycle cartridges with new build cartridges (NBC) available in the French market and concluded that the EvoCycle were a more sustainable solution.
Our take on this: All reuse is good, so it is good to know that HP components can be reused and truly validates something the remanufacturing community have been doing for years.
However, the more cynical observer might think they want to be seen as “being green” whilst ignoring the elephant in the room – A business model based on end users throwing away a product long before its technical end of life. If they were serious about sustainability why not compare EvoCycle against a remanufactured cartridge that we know can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 65%.
Reuse of cartridges is the best option, not creating unnecessary waste.
However, the more cynical observer might see EvoCycle as a work around of French regulations that recently mandated that at least 40% of all printing products purchased under a public tender must be sustainable.
Categories : Products and Technology
