Toner Cartridges
About Swan-labelled
Toner cartridges
Version 4.0
Background to ecolabelling
Date 27 September 2005
Nordic Ecolabelling
Swan-labelled toner cartridges - Background to ecolabelling
008/Version 1.0, Date: 27 October 2005
1Summary
2General facts about the criteria
3Criteria development/revision
4Justification of the requirements
5Changes from the previous version
6References
Nordic Ecolabelling
Product group 008/4.0
200x-xx-xx
1 Summary
The criteria document for toner cartridges applies to ordinary toner cartridges, cartridges in which the toner powder is supplied in a separate container and containers containing only toner powder.
The criteria cover minimising waste, substances hazardous to the environment and health, quality assurance of the product and recycling process, and labelling and user information.
All producers making toner cartridges may apply for the Nordic Swan and have their products certified with the ecolabel if they can fulfil all the requirements. This is also possible for producers of OEM toner Cartridges (Original Equipment Manufacturer).
2 General facts about the criteria
Products that can be labelled
Refilled toner cartridges and toner bottles for printers and copying machines. Remanufactured OPC units (Optical Photosensitive Coductor - cartridges containing only a drum) are included in the product group. Monochrome (black) and colour cartridges can be labelled.
Justification for Swan labelling
The most important requirement is that of the reuse of material. At least 75% of the cartridge must comprise original material. The other environmental requirements regard toner and plastics. Very strict requirements are also imposed regarding quality with Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) cartridges used as reference.
Criteria version and validity
The first version of the criteria document for toner cartridges was adopted on 13 May 1992. The document has been revised twice. The current version, version 3, was adopted 22 April 1999 and is valid until 11 April 2007. Version 4 will be valid for three years.
A survey conducted in 2001 concluded that the criteria are still of a suitable level. One unresolved issue is whether remanufactured inkjet cartridges can also be included in the criteria. This has since been evaluated, and in March 2004 the Nordic Ecolabelling Board decided that the product group should not include inkjet cartridges. The quality of inkjet cartridges is far too unreliable.
The latest evaluation, which preceded this revision (version 4.0), demonstrated that the requirements on product quality need tightening, and that the feasibility of new production techniques should be evaluated for Swan-labelled toner cartridges.
The Nordic market
In January 2006 Sweden hads ten licences. Five of the licences are held by Swedish manufacturers and importers. The other licensees are based in England, Holland, Portugal and Germany. Denmark and Finland each have one licence.
It is estimated that remanufactured toner cartridges account for 10-20% of the total toner cartridge market. On the Swedish market, 50-60% of these remanufactured cartridges are Swan labelled.
Other labels
Other European labelling systems for toner cartridges include the Blue Angel (Germany), Milieukeur (The Netherlands) and DIN 33870 (Germany).
3 Criteria development/revision
Purpose of the revision
The purpose of this revision of Swan criteria for toner cartridges (version 3.4) has been to evaluate the possibility of more precise requirements regarding product quality, with regard to both the manufacturing process and the product itself. A further goal has been to evaluate whether the scope of the product group should be changed so that OEM cartridges can be Swan labelled. The product group in version 3.4 primarily supported a production technique that is used to refill toner cartridges. The final main purpose of the revision has been a general review of the criteria, such as regards quality testing, information to end customers and document layout.
About this revision
The revision process was initiated at the start of 2005 with an evaluation that illuminated several important issues. The conclusions of this evaluation are based on expertise at Nordic Ecolabelling, experiences from the licensing process, and information about and from the market.
This revision has been conducted at secretariat level without the involvement of expert groups. However, much input to the new requirements has been collected from questionnaires sent to licensee. A number of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) were interviewed. These responses have been used in drawing up the new criteria in version 4.0.
The draft version has been approved by all Nordic secretariats and then sent for public review to stakeholders in the Nordic region and actors on the toner cartridge market in the rest of Europe.
The Danish secretariat has lead the project in collaboration with the other Nordic secretariats. The contact details of each secretariat are given below. In addition, the licensees, licence applicants and OEMs have provided feedback for the new criteria.
Finland:
SFS-Ecolabelling, Pb 116, FI-00241 HELSINKI, Tel: +358 9 1499 331,
Fax: +358 9 1499 3320,
Iceland:
Ecolabelling Iceland, Umhverfisstofnun, Suðurlandsbraut 24, IS-108 REYKJAVIK, Tel: +354 591 20 00, Fax: +354 591 20 20,
Norway:
Ecolabelling Norway, Kr. Augusts gt. 5, NO-0164 OSLO,
Tel: +47 22 36 57 40, Fax: +47 22 36 07 29,
Sweden:
SIS Ecolabelling, SE-118 80 STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Tel: +46 8 55 55 24 00,
Fax: +46 8 55 55 24 01,
Denmark:
Ecolabelling Denmark, Dansk Standard, Kollegievej 6, DK-2920 CHARLOTTENLUND , Tel: +45 72,300 450, Fax: +45 72 300 451,
4 Justification of the requirements
The requirements are primarily aimed at reuse of cartridges. The greatest environmental impact of toner cartridges is the use of materials during manufacturing. Requiring a high percentage of recycled parts in each cassette saves materials and energy. In addition, the requirements cover environmentally hazardous and harmful substances, product quality and printing performance. The reason for these requirements is justified below.
1) Environmentally hazardous and harmful substances (KR1-KR3)
The requirements on environmentally hazardous and harmful substances primarily regard the substances in the cartridges’ toner powder. Toner powder comprises binding agent, pigment, magnetic material and auxiliary chemicals. The binding agent is almost always some type of styrene-acrylate copolymer. The pigment is either carbon black or an organic pigment. The magnetic material is often a ferrite, which can also act as a pigment. The auxiliary chemicals are most often lubricating substances and fillers, such as olefin waxes and silicon dioxide.
One significant reason for why Nordic Ecolabelling sets requirements on toner powders classified as environmentally hazardous is their tendency to bioaccumulate and toxicity to flora, fauna and humans. Most toner powder ends up on the paper printout. Subsequently, it is burnt or recycled when the paper becomes waste. Environmentally hazardous substances must fulfil the legislation in force in each Nordic country and EU Directive 67/548/EEC, and must not exceed 2% by weight of the toner powder.
The environmental harmfull chemicals in toner powder are normally "Charge Control Agents" (CCA's). These are added to toners to stabilise the charge of toners so that print quality is correct and does not vary with time or usage. To make toners work they need to be used at or about the 2% level. Reduction to 1% could stop toners performing correctly and lower the print quality.
The problem with toner powder is primarily limited to a work environment problem for those (re)manufacturing the toner cartridges. However, toner powder is often handled in a closed system to ensure that it does not escape into the work environment. The criteria allow carbon black so long as it is handled in a closed system and does not escape into the work environment. The Swan requires that the licensee informs the end user that the packaging must be opened carefully to prevent raising any loose toner powder. The Swan also require information on packing about health risks from inhaling toner powder
2) Recycling (KR4-KR5)
The greatest environmental problem with toner cartridges is resource consumption. Accordingly, the most important requirement is that the cartridges comprise of at least 75% recycled parts. There is no point in increasing this figure since the maximum possible proportion of reused parts in the toner cartridges depends on the design of the OEM cartridge, something we are unable to influence through these criteria. It is in principle possible to set different levels for the different cartridge types presently on the market, but this would make the criteria unnecessarily complicated without achieving any significant environmental gains.
It is important that licensees have a well-functioning system for the collection of empty cartridges so that these can be reused.
The criteria focus on a specific reuse technique that, according to Nordic Ecolabelling, achieves the greatest resource savings and thus largest environmental gains.
The producers of remanufactured cartridges mostly use this production technology, which complies with Swan requirements. Several Some OEM manufacturers do the same and could therefore in principle apply for a Swan licence already. Prior to this revision (version 4.0), several OEM manufacturers were contacted regarding product-specific environmental data. This is absolutely essential for Nordic Ecolabelling to be able to make an objective environmental assessment of whether the product group should be extended to include other production techniques, which may enable the Swan labelling of OEM cartridges. The assessment revealed that OEMs can develop product-specific data but that this is resource intensive in relation to the market for Swan-labelled cartridges. Due to the time-frame for the revision, the product group was not extended in this version.
3) Product quality (KR6-KR8)
To reduce the problem of resource consumption, it is important that as many users as possible choose Swan-labelled remanufactured toner cartridges. But the end user is not willing to buy such cartridges if these do not provide good print quality and are safe for the printer. It is therefore important that clear, stringent requirements regarding cartridge quality are in place.
The quality of a toner cartridge is ultimately judged by the end user. Nordic Ecolabelling therefore places several quality requirements that we consider cover the end user’s concept of quality, and that allow a comparison between the remanufactured cartridge and corresponding OEM cartridge.
All quality tests are in accordance with ASTM 1531. This test method has been excluded from use in the end of 2005. Nordic Ecolabelling has chosen to keep ASTM 1531 as the their test method in version 4.0 because it is well accepted by the present license holders and show product quality in a satisfactionally.
A Swan-labelled cartridge must, at a minimum, be of the same quality as the equivalent original cartridge. Quality includes print capacity, print quality, toner transfer efficiency and, to some extent, the number of claims submitted by users.
Version 4.0 also sets further quality requirements to ensure that the user is informed about the cartridge’s chip status. The chip information must be the same as on the corresponding OEM cartridges. Chip information is considered as an aspect of product quality, especially by professional users. If an OEM cartridge has a chip, it is preferred if the remanufactured cartridge also uses a chip. If this is not possible, the consumer must be informed of this. Roughly 50-60% of remanufactured cartridges presently have a chip. Chip information includes toner level, number of printed pages, monitoring by the network manager, and the ordering of a new cartridge on low toner level. The chip can also control print quality, such as to save toner and extend the service life.
The Swan requires that the proportion of claims is max.lower than 1% for all Swan-labelled products per year and shall be calculated per month and also and for each of the specific product types. This is important for maintain focus on product and production quality. Only claims related to Swan requirements are included in the statistics. Transport damage and similar are excluded. The claims level is based on what is technically possible, even for OEM cartridges. The new requirements demand that the licensee records the claims related to a product each month and actively uses this information to change and improve production to reduce the number of claims.
4) Materials in toner cartridges (KR9)
The requirement prohibits the use of chlorinated plastics. For this product group, the greatest problems with PVC and other chlorinated plastics arise when the toner cartridges become waste. Toner cartridges are remanufactured 2-5 times before they become so worn that they do not fulfil the requirements. The cartridges are part of a recycling system that in theory could prohibit the cartridges becoming waste. However, the cartridges in the end always become waste, which means that the PVC and other chlorinated plastics remain a problem. We wish to minimise their use through this requirement.
5) Packaging (R10) and labelling (R11)
The requirement prohibits packaging that contains PVC and other chlorinated plastics. The greatest problem with PVC and other chlorinated plastics occurs during the waste phase. Packaging is a very short-lived product that becomes waste almost immediately. There are plenty of other types of packaging that do not create these problems. Thus, chlorinated plastics are prohibittedprohibited.
The purpose of labelling is to inform the user that the cartridge should be left for recycling once it is empty.
6) Information to the end user and waste (KR112-KR123)
The information requirement aims to ensure a high level of recycling. Further, the customer shall be provided with knowledge and an understanding of the purpose of Swan labelling toner cartridges. It must also enable the customer to make claims regarding the Swan-labelled cartridge directly to Nordic Ecolabelling in case the customer is of the opinion that the cartridge does not meet the requirements in the criteria.
The waste requirement ensures that all waste produced in connection with collection, remanufacturing and refilling the toner cartridges is dealt with in an environmentally suitable manner. Nordic Ecolabelling stipulates that material recycling is the first choice alternative. Nordic Ecolabelling does not consider energy reuse of the materials to be a method of material recycling. Energy reuse is however preferable to waste depositing.
7) Quality and regulatory requirements (KR134-KR1920)
The requirements are mandatory and are included in the majority of Swan product criteria. In general, the requirements ensure that the licensee observes current product requirements, can trace the licensed product in manufacturing, and fulfils current legislation and regulations.
8) Marketing (KR2021-K21R22)
These requirements are similar to in other criteria. However, we consider it important that correct information reaches resellers, distributors and other sales channels. We have therefore drawn up a proposal for the form of this information. The proposal is included as Appendix 7. We also wish to determine in which non-Nordic countries Swan labelling is used to establish what the market is like. During the review it came to light that the Swan label is used actively for example in Great Britain and the Netherlands.
5 Changes from the previous version
This section describes important changes from version 3.4 to version 4.0 of the criteria document for toner cartridges. The letters and numbers refer to the requirements in version 4.0 of the criteria document.
The criteria have been adapted to Nordic Ecolabelling’s new layout for criteria documents. This means that the requirements have been rearranged and given new headings. Nordic Ecolabelling’s aim is to make the requirements easier to understand and simplify the application process.
KR3
Studies[1] show that loose toner powder can cause cancer on inhalation. Nordic Ecolabelling has not been able to investigate this as part of this revision. The toner powder does not normally enter the air when the toner cartridge and printer work as designed, since the powder sticks to the paper. In case of damage however, the toner powder can enter the air. Nordic Ecolabelling therefore considers it important that the customer receives correct information to minimise the risk of inhaling toner powder. We consider informing the customer of these risks important and have therefore introduced this information requirement. In the next review, this issue should be investigated more thoroughly.
KR6
The product quality requirement basically combines the old requirement regarding claims with a new requirement. The new requirement demands following up production if the proportion of claims is exceeded during a month. Quality assured operations already use the number of claims as an control tool in improving production and the final product.
The proportion of claims must be recorded on a monthly basis in order to ensure that a maximum of 1% of the Swan labelled products are returned. Claims per month shall be used to maintain a focus on product quality and may not be exceeded. Written procedures shall ensure that exceeding the stipulated proportion of claims automatically puts a focus on following up and improving production.
KR7
The requirement regarding testing performance has been simplified. It is no longer required to perform a long-term test on an annual basis of all Swan-labelled cartridges. The new requirement stipulates that a significant proportion of the Swan-labelled cartridges are tested on an annual basis. This proportion is determined by the number of types of cartridge that the licensee Swan labels and also the number of claims. For the licensee, this means that the focus is still on cartridge performance over time but eliminates unnecessary testing and reduces the use of paper during testing.
R8K8
This requirement shall ensure that the customer receives information on the built-in chip (equivalent to OEM cartridge). This information is considered to be an important aspect of the total quality of the cartridge, especially by professional users.
The criteria ensure that the quality of a Swan-labelled cartridge is at least equivalent to the corresponding OEM cartridge. Accordingly, the chip information should be the same as in an OEM cartridge.