United Kingdom Cartridge Remanufacturers Association
UKCRA
The stated aim of the Association is to provide printer users with proven high quality products, through its members, that are cost effective environmentally friendly alternatives to imported toner cartridges.
ID: 945445818364-63
Lobbying Activity
Response to A new Circular Economy Action Plan
14 Jan 2020
The UK Cartridge Remanufacturers Association is an association that represents the printer cartridge remanufacturers in the UK. UKCRA for over 25 years has been at the vanguard of challenging and appealing to lawmakers by continually providing evidence and undisputed facts about the advantages of printer cartridge re-manufacturing for a more circular economy. Printer manufacturers (OEM'S) are impeding the functioning of a number of cartridge models in their printers and this is an issue that is being currently addressed with the UK Government department BEIS on eco-design.
UKCRA participated as a stakeholder that succeeded in including design for reuse in International standards (WEEE Directive and the International Standard IEEE 1680.2), and has recently formally complained that the IEEE standard regarding certain required criteria on the re-usability and functioning of non original cartridges in printers. This has led to the re-opening of these criteria to stakeholders for corrective action in the new year.
UKCRA has continually provided evidence and undisputed facts about the advantages of cartridge re-manufacturing and re-use in the circular economy and participated in conferences and meetings with Government representatives encouraging them to lead by example and put ‘Re-manufactured’ (i.e. Re-Use) as the higher priority over ‘Recycling’ - and above cost in Procurement tenders
It is up to the lawmakers to bring down carbon emissions by putting sustainability and reuse over the lesser environmental friendly recycling. Why recycle (separate components and then crush) a printer cartridge to make another cartridge? Incineration is on the increase and is becoming another way of recycling that again uses up energy. Why add to the mountain of recycled plastics that has few uses where a perfectly viable commodity such as a remanufactured toner cartridge or refilled inkjet already currently generates jobs and productivity around the World.
The projection by experts to cut carbon emissions in half in 10 years is not acceptable; it is not enough - especially where there are not even the technical solutions invented yet to do this!
Without the support of Government and policy makers who see the environment and to cut carbon emissions as their highest priority, the printer manufacturers will continue to see their bottom line as their highest priority and to stop the reuse of their products.
The remanufacturing Industry has suffered, as well as the OEM’s, from the influx of single use clone (‘new build’) imports, whether good or bad. But one thing is apparent, these single use cartridges- whether OEM or clone - are having a huge impact on carbon emissions as more and more of these used cartridges enter the waste stream for recycling or landfill.
As Greta Thunberg so bravely challenged the lawmakers at the UN Annual General Assembly condemning the talk of “eternal economic growth” adding “while entire eco-systems are collapsing” and of Government and Lawmaker’s betrayal – ‘leaders nowhere in sight’ is a cause UKCRA has been raising for over 25 years. We have met many Environment Ministers in person, MP meetings at Westminster, contributed to the UK Government’s Cross party ‘Triple Win’ Report on Remanufacturing, attended the China-UK Green Manufacturing/Remanufacturing Summit regarding 'green remanufacturing', and Local Authorities.
UKCRA has continually provided evidence and undisputed facts about the advantages of cartridge re-manufacturing in the circular economy and has has relentlessly encouraged Government to lead by example and put ‘Re-manufactured’ (Re-Use) as the higher priority over ‘Recycling’ and above cost in supporting a circular economy as well as protecting and providing jobs for reuse.
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