Imation Earthwise Toner Cartridges Boast Recycled Parts
- Feb 04, 2009 5:50 PM EST
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Let's face it, toner is expensive. If you run a small business, you're probably well aware of that fact. That's why you've probably been buying remanufactured toner cartridges for years; heck, PCMag.com ran a pretty exhaustive quality analysis of recycled ink tanks way back in 2002. Printer makers handed out lawsuits left and right, but that hasn't diminished either public interest or the number of companies in the business. Into this multicolored quagmire steps Imation, which just announced the US availability of its new line of remanufactured toner cartridges under the Earthwise brand name.
According to Imation, each Earthwise toner cartridge begins with a recycled plastic shell, and contains a new printer drum, new toner, and other reconditioned or replaced parts. Earthwise toner cartridges are packaged in cartons made from no less than 80 percent post-consumer recycled materials. Tom Lally, a vice president at Imation, points out, "for each Earthwise toner cartridge a customer selects, three pounds of waste are saved from a landfill and three quarts of petroleum are saved by eliminating the need to manufacture a new cartridge."
I don't mean to downplay the importance of this announcement. For years, manufacturers have been trying to entice customers by noting the COST savings of recycling, refilling, or using remanufactured cartridges. Imation's selling point is that buying these cartridges is better for the environment than those from Canon or HP. But how are these cartridges an improvement over the remanufactured toner tanks of years past? And aren't Samsung, Xerox, and others making improvements of their own?