Kleen Strike Director and UKCRA spokesperson Laura Heywood says price remains the dominant pressure on remanufacturers — and calls for government to prioritise reuse.
By Laura Heywood, Director, Kleenstrike and UKCRA Spokesperson
Regarding The Recycler’s 17 July article “Cost Pressures Revive Local Remanufacturing Focus”, I’d like to offer a different view.
Cost will always be the highest priority. It is still the first item considered, and continues to be the biggest threat to the remanufacturing industry.
At Kleenstrike, we’ve been remanufacturing since 1983, starting with ribbon cassettes and moving into toner cartridges in 1989. We’ve seen this sector change, and not always for the better.
The headline from The Recycler cited “cost control, supply chain resilience and footprint optimisation” as top priorities. But let’s be clear: cost control remains No.1.
New-build compatibles from the Far East are now being offered to resellers for less than what a remanufacturer pays for a used OEM empty. An original mono high-yield toner might sell for £95. A used OEM from a broker costs around £15 — before factoring in drums, toner, boxes, overheads, and labour. And yet the new-build is still cheaper. That’s not sustainable, economically or environmentally.
Worse still, most new-builds can’t be remanufactured. Parts suppliers only support OEM designs, so when it’s empty, it’s done. These cartridges represent the worst end of the sustainability spectrum.
Remanufacturers have also been squeezed by the fallout from the recast WEEE Directive. OEMs now collect their own cartridges under mandatory take-back schemes. In one case, we lost access to a fair supply of empties because the OEM insisted that every cartridge be crushed, no reuse allowed, not even a percentage.
That has a direct impact on cost. We’re forced to build rising empty prices into our costings, while competing against low-cost imports with no reuse value.
It’s no surprise many remanufacturers have disappeared. Those that remain have often diversified into refurbished printers, repairs, or office supplies to stay viable.
If governments are serious about promoting reuse, they need to lead by example. Even in contract printing, where toner is bundled, buyers could stipulate the use of reused cartridges. One council we worked with gave price a 70% weighting in its tender formula. I think that says it all.
