The Recycler Issue 334

2020 Reimagined 

At the beginning of the year we all had a vision 

for the market, our businesses and the direction 

customers were moving towards. 

We reached out to ask what the highs and lows 

were for you, your business and your staff 

in the first half of the year, and what is your 

vision for the rest of the year. 

Starts page 4 

September 2020 

Issue 334 | £10 

It’s official, OEM inks are 

seriously expensive 

UK Consumer magazine Which, 

drills down on just how expensive OEM 

branded inks are with some costing more 

that 32 year old Scotch whiskey. 

Page 14 

Sustainability to be a top theme at 

Paperworld 2021 

For the first time, Paperworld will take place 

from 30 January to 2 February 2021 with an 

overriding central theme: sustainability. 

Page 16 

Sustainability high on buyer’s agenda 

A recent study revealed that 79% of buyers 

are rethinking their buying behaviour and 

place more value on social responsibility, 

inclusiveness and environmental friendliness. 

Page 20 

HP urged to take ‘path of sustainability’ 

The European Toner and Inkjet 

Remanufacturers Association 

(ETIRA) is urging HP to rethink 

its latest printer firmware update. 

Page 26

IN THIS ISSUE 

2 Issue 334 September 2020

EDITORIAL 

COVID-19, Sustainability 

- The Future 

First of all a big thank you to everyone 

who contributed to our 2020 Reimagined 

feature. It was interesting to read and to 

see how companies and individuals have 

faced the challenges and adversity that the 

coronavirus has brought upon us and it 

seems will be with us in one way or another 

for some time. We are pleased to share your 

collective experiences in this issue and you 

can read about them from page 4. 

It isn’t possible to measure the human side 

of the pandemic from the illness itself to the 

loss of someone near to you. Or the market 

changes that see friends and colleagues 

lose their jobs through no fault of their 

own. We estimate that more than 2,000 

jobs have been lost on either a temporary 

or permanent basis among The Recycler 

audience. We want to help! If you are 

looking for a new job, or you have a vacancy 

we will circulate both in our employment 

newsletter for free. Just send the details to 

news@therecycler.com and we will take care 

of it. 

Sustainability is the way forward and 

many countries are now rethinking how 

they individually and collectively reset 

economies, specific industries (such as 

aviation, healthcare and energy); the way 

financial systems work; the way we tackle 

climate change; and even our chosen brand 

of capitalism. In the office printer market, 

the opportunities are many and varied and 

the pandemic is an added stimulus for the 

printer market to rethink and reset how it 

works and who it benefits both now and in 

the future. 

With sustainability as the backdrop, 

The Recycler is pleased to announce a new 

Sustainability award that will be presented 

at Remanexpo / Paperworld on Jan 31, 

2021. You can read the full details 

on page 14. 

Which? Is a UK-based consumer rights 

magazine and regularly tests inks and 

printers to advise and demystify printer 

speak. This year they tested 28 different ink 

brands and found that the OEMs were the 

most effective, but not necessarily the best. 

Indeed, the leading OEM brands featured in 

the bottom half of the list. You will have to 

buy the report to get the nitty gritty of the 

report, but it is a great read and worth the £1 

($1.3/ €1.1) trial subscription. 

▲ Stefanie Unland Editor 

& Publisher, The Recycler 

In March we began to see various countries 

impose lockdowns to contain the COVID 

virus. One aspect of the lockdown was a 

switch to working from home. That saw a 

demand for both printers and consumables 

grow massively and at the same time 

corporate click rates fall. In kicks a firmware 

update from HP that locks out aftermarket 

In the office printer market, the opportunities 

are many and varied and the pandemic 

is an added stimulus for the printer market 

to rethink and reset 

consumables, nothing new there, you say. 

But it was… the world is responding to the 

pandemic, people are trying to keep the 

wheels of the economy going by working 

from home and looking after and home 

schooling kids, and HP does that. Then 

home working grows, and consumables 

are in short supply and the aftermarket is 

stepping up to the mark to meet the demand 

and then wham! Another firmware upgrade 

that locks out aftermarket consumables 

adversely impacts of consumers. 

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist 

to see a pattern here… ■ 

Issue 334 


3

FEATURE 


At the beginning of the year we all had a vision for the market, our businesses and the direction 

customers were moving towards. Yet within weeks the pandemic was unfolding, and business changed. 

Fast forward to this summer and living with the virus and we don’t really know what normal is yet. 

We reached out to ask what the highs and 

lows were for you, your business and your 

staff in the first half of the year, and what 

is your vision for the rest of the year. Is it 

business as usual, or is there a new direction 

or set of priorities? 

HUBEI DINGLONG 

The chemical toner manufacturer, Hubei 

Dinglong were really the first company to 

face the virus challenge. European General 

Manager, Ian Copsey recalls… 

As we optimistically rolled into 2020 

and prepared for the upcoming Remanexpo 

at Frankfurt, little did we know what lay 

before us. 

For me personally, that all changed at 07.00 

am on Wednesday 22 nd January when my 

Chinese colleague (Victor) called to say we 

have a little problem! 

Of course, I had been following the 

unfolding events since end of December but 

until that Wednesday nothing had really 

affected me. 

With no Wuhan staff to travel and no 

marketing tools or collateral for the show 

it was a real defining moment when you 

look back and say that’s when the CV-19 

significance became apparent – This is to 

be a very different Year. 

As it turned out the show was good overall, 

positive meetings, opportunities found and 

even then still hope that 2020 could be a good 

Year. Even when I look at revenues from 

January to middle of March they were on par 

with prior months. 

I had sufficient inventory in Europe and 

those who buy via Asia could still access our 

Warehouse in Zhuhai so business continued. 

My Chinese colleagues worked from home 

and we could process orders and indeed 

continued to ship out of Rotterdam. 

However, from mid-March through to July 

the story is different as we all know. I am not 

going to dwell on this, but the Global Fiscal 

challenge is well known and will be with us 

all for some time. 

The aftermarket historically does well when 

economies become challenged, it is clear we are 

seeing a tide of sustainability and need for more 

local produced products. I hope this can play 

well into the genuine Remanufactures Agenda. 

We continue to develop new solutions and 

have launched several new products through 

this period, so business continues but at a 

reduce pace and indeed demand. For me 

As we optimistically rolled into 2020 and prepared 

for the upcoming Remanexpo at Frankfurt, little 

did we know what lay before us. 

personally the focus has to be staying busy 

and looking at proactive ways of spending 

the business day. Plenty of daily exercise helps 

and we have to focus on the future and stay 

optimistic as we will beat this virus and a 

“New Normal” will emerge but none of us 

today can know what that really means. – 

Stay Positive and importantly stay safe. 

FEATURED 

A R TIC L E 


You can contact The Recycler via Twitter at @RecyclerMedia 

KATUN 

ETIRA member Katun recalls the 

flashback to January 2020. We are all in 

Frankfurt and Katun EAME launched a 

broad message of portfolio expansion to 

embrace “new” technologies like 

Business Ink, an expanding range of 

European remanufactured MFPs and 

MFDs; a greater awareness of our 

traditionally environmentally friendly, 

customer focus sales strategy. 

We had a plan for 2020 & beyond; then 

we lived through an experience that 

oftentimes felt surreal – now are adjusting 

our plans to include a world with some 

travel restrictions, more people working 

from home and a sense of suspension that 

no one could have imagined. 

Business partners make important choices 

and Katun has chosen to play a key and 

active role in the Environment. By 1st 

introducing an A3 “OEM Refill” toner 

portfolio in 2008 (Made in Europe), we 

taught the market that reducing, re-using 

and recycling (the 3 Rs) was a sustainable 

way to support a business and an economy 

before it became mainstream; we will 

continue to expand that portfolio. The 

future will bring an expansion of Dealer, 

and increasingly End User, sensitivity to 

choosing products that support companies 

closer to “home”- we strongly believe that 

these choices can strengthen businesses that 

operate ethically, legally, and transparently. 

With the new PRINT IT, PLANT IT 

sustainable programme from Katun, in 

partnership with PrintReleaf, dealers, 

distributors and end users can choose to 

participate to promote their ecofriendly 

approach. 

The return of desktop A4 devices will 

mean more devices, at least for a while. 

We remain focused on the well-being 

of our employees, our customer partners, 

and our suppliers. 

Two years ago, Katun introduced a range 

of European remanufactured A4 devices 

that offer the opportunity to apply the 

3 Rs, while supporting companies as 

their employees (& school children) are 

more active at home. 

Katun’s corporate priorities have not 

changed. We remain focused on the 

well-being of our employees, our customer 

partners, and our suppliers. Katun will 

continue to strengthen its financial 

security, and that of our suppliers and 

customers, to support our common interest 

and participation in the world economy. 

As we anxiously await the day when 

we can greet our customers, suppliers, 

and business colleagues in person again, 

Katun is focusing on new market 

opportunities. Katun has been an industry 

leader for over 40 years; new challenges 

mean new opportunities that we are fully 

prepared to meet. 



5

FEATURE 

GM TECHNOLOGY 

Spanish based GM Technology records 

the low point was somewhere early April. 

It seemed the new infection numbers will 

never peak, and a total lockdown is 

inevitable for a long time. We switched 

everyone to home office and deployed an 

all-digital browser-based CRM system. It 

was a challenge for newly joined Business 

Development Manager, Zoltan Matyas. 

He recalls it cost me a few sleepless nights 

but worked out excellent. 

My sales team handled the challenges and 

managed to keep sales above 60% target. 

We sell virtually to all countries around the 

world so we could compensate slowing sales 

in one region with another where economy 

remained active. 

We have been qualified as essential service 

right at the beginning as we manage 

printing systems for hospitals and 

government offices. We never closed. The 

entire company kept on operating and 

delivering products and services every day. 

During the crisis we did new installations 

for crisis-centres and leveraged remote MPS 

to keep continuous toner supplies. 

A crisis this scale acts as an accelerator of 

already ongoing changes. It forces you 

to find solutions. I told many customers 

during these days: “If business is slow you 

have idle time. Use it to rethink, regroup, 

think outside the box and reinvent the new 

normal”. 

Thanks to COVID19, digital 

transformation of business and the home 

office transition have been accelerated. 

Today we use human resources more 

efficiently and re-using natural resources 

gained attention and importance. 

FEATURED 

A R TIC L E 

STATIC CONTROL 

For Static Control planning and 

preparation was the key to managing their 

virus response, here is their story: 

No one could have predicted just how 

much COVID-19 would end up impacting 

the global economy, however, Static 

Control’s Human Resources department 

prepared a plan early on to help keep 

employees safe. Preparations were made 

throughout February to ensure business 

continuity in the months ahead. 

“Our staff did a remarkable job preparing 

the best that they could,” said CEO Ken 

Lalley. “Laptops were purchased to ensure 

that employees who could work from home 

could do so, along with purchasing PPE for 

warehouse employees to stay safe.” 

Starting in March, all employees who 

could work from home did so. Just like 

everyone in the industry, a sharp decline 

in sales occurred and Static Control had to 

furlough 29 employees in the UK office. 

“We continually maintained contact 

with these employees to make sure they 

remained healthy and that their Static 

Control family was near. I’m happy to 

report that the majority of these employees 

have already returned to work,” said 

Natalie Wickens, Static Control’s Human 

Resources Manager in the UK. “During 

quarantine, we have made a real effort 

to try and keep employees updated with 

company news. We made a short newsletter 

to send to furloughed employees every few 

weeks. Employees working from home have 

had online meetings with managers to keep 

teams updated on the latest news. We’ve 

also done fun quizzes and things on Zoom 

to try and keep morale up.” 

Natalie was instrumental in creating a 

plan for onsite employees. “We have 27 

employees in the warehouse and they have 

been working on split shifts to minimise 

contact, and the shifts do not overlap. 

No one could have predicted just 

how much COVID-19 would end up 

impacting the global economy 

We have also made adjustments in the 

warehouse to make it as safe as possible.” 

Similar steps were taken in the US office. 

Now that Europe is beginning to open up 

again, the experience has led to a deeper 

appreciation for all of Static Control’s 

employees and customers. 

“We’ve all been through a global pandemic 

together. The most important thing is the 

health and safety of our employees and 

customers,” said Lalley. “I have to give my 

deep appreciation to all of our employees 

worldwide who have gone the extra mile 

during all this to make sure that customers 

were given dedicated support and products 

were shipped and delivered. We have an 

amazing team here!” 



GOGREEN! 

REACH 

READY 

20 

05/20 



7

FEATURE 

LIGHTWORDS 

IMAGING 

Peter Mayhew of Lightwords Imaging 

shared their journey so far: Back in 

February, 2020 was looking good. We 

were implementing our strategic plan and 

it was working. The document printing 

market, where we focus most of our 

energy, was performing somewhat in line 

with our expectations. Best of all our 

clients were engaged in what we were 

doing. Then the pandemic hit. 

March was the low point for Lightwords. 

All those plans, all that work building the 

to collect data until countries finally 

closed. Uniquely, we now have a very clear 

view of the pricing and TCO strategies 

(see Figure 1.) of many of the industries 

manufacturers’ most popular models up to 

the point when lock-down started, in the 

USA and, most of Western Europe. 

Our next data set, due out in Q4 2020, 

will show exactly how these OEM pricing 

strategies have changed because of 

Covid-19. This is invaluable, competitive 

market insight. And there will be change 

because, the requirements of most offices in 

almost all vertical markets, is changing. 

That means a review of the MPS contract 

soon. With many copiers and MFP’s in 

the wrong position, over specified and 

we do best, turning research into insight, 

especially in the growth segments of these 

two highly disrupted markets. 

So, what is next for Lightwords? 

Product refreshes and updates planned 

for 2021 are now in their final stages of 

completion. Launch plans are ready to 

go. New international sales channels have 

been established, virtual sales training 

has commenced, and our Analysts are 

refocused on strategic planning for 

clients. Busy, challenging, changing, 

but exciting times! 

BIUROMAX 

And there will be change because, 

the requirements of most offices in almost 

all vertical markets, is changing. 

business, suddenly at grave risk. All our 

offices were closed, home working was the 

new norm. But nobody was furloughed or 

laid off because projects still needed to be 

delivered. This we achieved, on-time and in 

full. In parallel, we needed a new business 

plan and, a new strategy. 

Fortunately, our researchers working 

in the sales channels on our Copier & 

MFP Pricing Analysis Service, were able 

requiring a minimal touch interface, new 

devices with different workflow apps 

will be needed. Lightwords will be there, 

collecting the quotes and informing clients 

about the changes occurring the market. 

The cancellations of DRUPA and 

FESPA 2020 in the Commercial Print 

and Wide Format markets meant further 

complication for Lightwords. New tactics 

to keep us in front of our clients, had to 

be deployed. We’ve re-focused on what 

Price Trend by Model by Country Q4 2015 - Q4 2019 

Polish based ETIRA member Biuromax 

had planned expansion into new 

markets, increase the number of staff 

and invest in a new image. 

In January we began the implementation 

of our new marketing campaign - YOU 

FIRST. We started with a new webpage 

of which an important part would be an 

expert subpage where customers could 

find materials (films and instructions) and 

educate themselves in the field of copier 

units’ rebuilding process. The materials 

used for the expert subpage was based 

on extensive training of our employees 

performed with the view to create product 

awareness – what we offer and how it is 

used. We had spent many hours studying 

the construction of machines and its 

units, and on this basis we have prepared 

filmed instructions. In many cases we also 

used information obtained from clients 

regarding the most common problems 

they face in the rebuilding process. 

The first quarter’s sale was fantastic. 

At the end of March, and in April 

came the crisis. Immediately after the 

announcement of the social quarantine 

we asked employees to work from home. 

Avg 15Q4 Price Avg 16Q4 Price Avg 17Q4 Price 

Avg 18Q4 Price Avg 19Q4 Price 

Data for illustration purposes only © LightWords Ltd 2019 

Suddenly our cash flow was poor, and 

we were working from home worrying 

about our customers, the workplace, and 

about the economic situation in general. 

Our frustration was increased by the fear 

for health and life of our families and 

the need to work from home with one 

hand on the computer keyboard and 

with the other trying to solve math’s 

lesson of our kids. 



FEATURED 

A R TIC L E 

The biggest concern however was the 

UNKNOWN FUTURE. And yes, 

we were concerned about the future 

of our company. 

COVID-19 blocked all launched projects. 

We had to suspend or cancel them. Our biz 

trips, recruitment, marketing communication 

schedule had to be rethought and rearranged. 

In May, not without doubts, we began a 

gradual return to the office. Nowadays most 

of us work stationary, but some remain 

at home. We have to change the mode of 

operation. 

Since our sales model was up to now largely 

based on visiting our partners, our priority 

nowadays is to remain close to them. 

We began to arrange video conferences, 

where we discuss business and life, evaluate 

possibilities and offer our assistance to clients. 

We have to think of new products. Many of 

our competitors have introduced hygienic 

kits (masks, gloves and disinfectants) to their 

offer. To us this is just a temporary need 

and hopefully those products will not be 

necessary after the coronavirus epidemic is 

over. Instead, after consulting our customers, 

we have decided on introducing highquality 

thermal paper to our offer. Direct 

cooperation with the manufacturer allows 

us to offer paper of various weights, sizes, 

universal and personalized (with printing). 

We have learned that “a change” may have 

its positive and negative impact. The world 

is changing more rapidly and so is printing 

industry. We think that recent circumstances 

will cause a faster change in the field we 

are operating. On the one hand, hopefully, 

printing will be more eco-friendly using 

remanufactured cartridges, on another 

digitization and electronic workflow are here 

already and are gaining the momentum. We 

need to act flexibly, to diversify our offer and 

to be always close to our clients. 



9

FEATURE 

FEATURED 

A R TIC L E 

KEYPOINT 

INTELLIGENCE 

Keypoint Intelligence told us 2020 has 

been an interesting year to say the least. 

While there have been definite lows and 

challenges, we have also seized the 

opportunity to improve our company, 

explore new areas of the market, and 

better serve customers. 

The Key Point Blog has been a strong 

company focus in 2020 

One notable setback for our business 

has been the ability to test products 

in our labs. When countries suddenly 

implemented lockdowns due to 

COVID-19, we could no longer perform 

the same level of testing as before. We 

are now moving back to full testing, so 

hopefully clients will continue sending us 

a wide range of devices and software for 

comprehensive evaluations. 

▲ Mack P. Brothers President 

and CEO, Keypoint Intelligence 

Despite all the difficulties we’ve faced so far 

in 2020, we are truly excited for the opportunity 

to rethink our business, shift directions, 

and capitalize on new areas of research, coverage, 

and insight for our industry. 

This year we have also faced uncertainty 

over client contract renewals. Many of our 

clients are based in Japan; with the onset 

of COVID-19 (in many regions) occurring 

near the end of their fiscal year, they 

were not necessarily available to discuss 

contract renewal. In fact, in some cases 

discussions over continued business were 

postponed for several months. 

Our company has also experienced a major 

change in leadership. On 1 May, Mack 

P. Brothers became the new president 

and CEO. With 30 years of research 

and advisory expertise, Brothers most 

recently served as chief product officer 

at U.S.-based Forrester Research. While 

this appointment represents an exciting 

opportunity for Keypoint Intelligence, 

it is also true that a significant leadership 

change does require a period of 

unpredictability and adjustment. 

Since the pandemic hit, we’ve tried to find 

ways to better serve our customers and 

the industry in general. One way we’ve 

achieved this is through creating a wealth 

of free COVID-19-related content (as 

well as insight on other industry topics), 

including blog posts and podcasts, 

designed to help the print sector get 

through this difficult time. Many of the 

themes seem to have resonated with print 

manufacturers, office equipment dealers, 

and others—sparking new conversations, 

product ideas, and business. 

Another positive from this year has been 

fresh primary research on unprecedented 

developments and trends. We are 

currently fielding a Future of Office 

Printing survey focused on how general 

office workers have changed work and 

print habits since starting to work from 

home as a result of the pandemic. 

And later this year we plan to survey 

IT decision makers on how their offices 

as well as companies’ approach to print 

are changing. 

Despite all the difficulties we’ve faced 

so far in 2020, we are truly excited for 

the opportunity to rethink our business, 

shift directions, and capitalize on new 

areas of research, coverage, and insight 

for our industry. 


Search for The Recycler on Facebook for more news and industry coverage 

THE RECYCLER 

Here at The Recycler the pandemic has 

been a challenge. Our printer 

implemented new working conditions, 

and this added a few days to production 

of the magazine. Mailing was more 

challenging with social distancing 

meaning we had to follow special delivery 

protocols delivering the mailing to the 

post office. 

Then came the global lockdowns that 

impacted on mailing. On average it takes 2 

– 10 days to mail the magazine around the 

world. With the pandemic some countries 

were closed for mailing, others slowed 

down the processing of mail. In April 

the average, where delivery was possible, 

shifted to 3 to 25 days. Fortunately, that 

has improved each month since and only a 

few countries remain closed. 

Our summer conference has now been 

moved to May 2021, but the next industry 

event in Europe is Paperworld on the 30 

Jan – 2 Feb where the new format for 

Remanexpo will be in Hall 6.1. 

Kickstart 2021 

What are you doing to kick-start your 

business going into 2021? Are you 

planning new products and services, new 

channels, new people, new marketing 

strategies? Whatever it is share it 

with us at The Recycler and our 

audience as part of our Kickstart 

2021 feature series. Email us at 

news@therecycler.com and put 

Kickstart 2021 in the subject line. ■ 

Specialists in the Purchase 

of Unused OEM Toner for 

over 10 years 

Purchasing 

WE BUY SURPLUS UNUSED PRINTER TONERS & INKS 

Find us on: 

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11

IN THIS ISSUE 

On the cover 


Industry Leaders Q&A - 

The Jolly Savage 

34 

Impact of the COVID 

crisis in printing 

4 36 

Editorial 

3 COVID-19, Sustainability 

- The Future 

Feature 

4 2020 Reimagined 

World Focus 

14 It’s official, OEM inks are seriously 

expensive • Sustainability, the 

foundation for reuse 

15 HP releases new firmware updates 

• ICCE publishes position paper 

on the US-UK Trade Agreement 

16 Sustainability to be a top theme 

at Paperworld 2021 

17 Amazon to name and shame 

counterfeiters? 

18 Canon continues to file Report 

Infringement Forms and settles 

with Globest Trading & M & S 

Vertrieb Service OHG 

19 Spain: More e-waste crime exposed 

20 Sustainability high on buyer’s agenda 

21 Meanwhile in South Africa… 

• USITC to issue GEO for Brother 

City News 

22 OEM share prices August 2020 

• EveryonePrint acquires One Q 

23 Ninestar plans to purchase 100% 

of Pantum shares • Lyreco acquires 

Office Depot’s Spanish portfolio 

24 Genuine Parts Company sells 

S.P. Richards Company 

Around the Industry 

26 HP urged to take ‘path 

of sustainability’ • Katun 

announces presence on ‘Stock 

in the Channel’ 

28 Ninestar starts cartridge recycling 

programme, continues 20 in 

2020 celebrations and more 

29 MPS Monitor receives 

Platinum Rating 

30 HYB appoints new Business 

Development Manager and 

distributor • Armor has got 

it wrapped 

31 RIS and Migros France 

launch first InkCenter 

32 Data Direct hires Graham Green 

• Clover Imaging Group introduces 

Russian distributor, reviews 

collection arm 

33 OCP operations move complete 

Inside Track 

34 Industry Leaders Q&A 

- The Jolly Savage 

Feature 

36 Impact of the COVID crisis 

in printing 

Products & Technology 

38 CET highlights latest products 

• Apex releases first-to-market 

replacement chips 

39 IR Italiana Riprografia expands 

products range • Expand your MPS 

services with T-MPS 

40 Ninestar debuts solution to manage 

firmware upgrades 

42 Katun North America introduces 

printer and copier toners • CTS 

adds to its new PPE and cartridge 

ranges 

43 CIG releases latest solutions 

• ARMOR expands its laser range 




13

WORLD FOCUS 

EUROPE Ink, OEM, Price, Branded 

EUROPE The Recycler Live, 

Frankfurt, Awards, Sustainability 

Sustainability, 

the foundation 

for reuse 

It’s official, OEM inks are 

seriously expensive 

UK Consumer magazine Which, drills down on just how expensive OEM 

branded inks are with some costing more that 32 year old Scotch whiskey. 

Which discovered that one set of 

replacement cartridges for the Epson 

Expression Premium XP-900 costs £96 

(€105 / $123). While a non branded set 

cost just £14 ($18/ €15.3). This means that 

a customer can replace their ink five times 

for less than the price of a branded set and 

save a massive £410 ($527/ €449). 

The Which survey also debunked some 

common worries about third-party 

printer ink: 

They will not work in my printer is a 

common worry according to the Which 

research who found that 43% of the people 

they surveyed had this concern. Which 

tested several leading brands and “didn’t 

have any issues when we lab-tested the 

third-party brands, either.” 

Which did caution that “if you have a 

HP printer, you might not be able to use 

third-party cartridges, and this is down 

to HP. Its printers use something called 

‘dynamic security’, which recognises 

cartridges that aren’t HP branded and 

stops them from working.” 

They leak was the next worry and 30% 

of people Which surveyed said they were 

worried third-party inks would leak and 

their printer would no longer work. Which 

“ran the seven top-scoring third-party 

cartridges through our tests, and none 

of them damaged the printer. Plus, of 

those in our survey who use third-party 

ink regularly, only 4% experienced any 

leaking.“ 

Print quality is poorer with third-party 

ink said only 3% of the people Which 

surveyed, Which lab tests “found that 

the best ink cartridges were very close 

in quality to original ink.” The Which 

“top-scorers all managed four out of 

five stars for print quality in our survey; 

respondents thought some of the best were 

even on a par with HP and Epson inks.” 

“Printer ink shouldn’t cost the earth, 

and we’ve found that there are lots of 

unbranded products that are just as good 

as their branded counterparts and only 

a fraction of the cost — so you can keep 

your hard-earned cash for actual luxuries 

rather than spending it on printing,” said 

Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine. 

“Choosing third-party cartridges should 

be a personal choice and not dictated by 

the make of your printer. If you are in the 

market for a new printer, it might be best 

to avoid HP if you don’t want to fork out 

for expensive HP ink cartridges.” 

Editor’s Opinion: High OEM ink prices 

are and will drive the demand for lower 

cost ink consumables and it is clear from 

the Which research that the aftermarket 

can and will fill the value proposition for 

affordable good quality supplies. ■ 

The Recycler is pleased to announce 

The Recycler Sustainability Award to 

recognise and celebrate companies and 

individuals who are leading the way 

to a sustainable future in the field of 

office imaging. 

The Recycler’s new “Sustainability” award 

is for any new product/service invention; 

specification or improvement that has led to 

a more sustainable outcome. The product or 

service must be available and, on the market, 

not in development phase. 

Nominations for all The Recycler Awards 

will open in November and the winners will 

be announced at the awards presentation, to 

be held on 31 January 2021 at Paperworld / 

Remanexpo in Frankfurt. 

The Recycler is proud to have this 

opportunity to recognise and reward 

companies and individuals who are leading 

the way to a sustainable future in the field of 

office imaging. 

Who judges the awards? 

All nominations are checked independently 

of The Recycler to ensure a fair and unbiased 

process and outcome. All nominations 

will be put to an open vote by The Recycler 

audience are put to a public vote to reflect 

and all the judging panel comprises a broad 

range of environmental experts who are 

selected for their sustainability and industry 

expertise. 

Entry requirements 

• Entry needs to comply with the eligibility 

requirements for the category above 

• The new product/service invention; 

specification or improvement should have 

been brought to the market on or after 1st 

July 2019. 

• The demonstrable activities and results 

associated with the entry must be 

applicable within the office imaging 

sector. ■ 


visit www.therecycler.com for all the breaking news 

GLOBAL Firmware Update, Chips, 

Remanufacturing 

HP releases 

new firmware 

updates 

The Recycler has been advised that 

the OEM has released its latest 

firmware update which can affect 

third party replacement cartridges 

for HP 63/302 series cartridges. 

This latest firmware update, version 

2025A/2021B was released in July 

2020. The affected printers are HP 

OfficeJet 5220, 5255, 5230, 5232, HP 

ENVY 5020, 5032 and HP DeskJet 

2621 devices. 

The chip manufacturer ChipJet said 

that the affected cartridges depending 

on which region are the HP 63 or 302 

series cartridges. The OfficeJet and 

ENVY devices seem to be updated with 

version 2025A and firmware version 

2021B is targeted at the DeskJet devices. 

The company has confirmed that 

its chips are unaffected by this latest 

firmware update. 

Most recently, in May 2020 HP 

released the newly W2080A/118A 

series cartridges, which are capable of 

upgrading the corresponding printers 

without being connected to a network. 

According to The Recycler tech guru, 

recent innovations to network hubs 

and new firmware blockers successfully 

manage to limit network delivered 

upgrades. This upgrade is contained in 

the encrypted chip resident on the toner 

cartridge. Once the cartridge is installed 

in the printer, the “handshake” between 

the printer and the cartridge is made 

and determines the firmware status 

of the printer and that activates the 

upgrade if it is needed and no internet 

connection required. 

It is expected that the newly 

manufactured HP MFP 179fnw 

printers has installed the upgraded 

OEM cartridge, which also enable a 

firmware upgrade to the printer as soon 

as you start to use it. ■ 

EMEA ICCE, Counterfeits, UK-US Trade Deal 

ICCE publishes position paper on the 

US-UK Trade Agreement 

The Imaging Consumables Coalition of Europe, Middle East and Africa (ICCE) 

calls for a future US-UK Free Trade Agreement to include specific measures to 

protect consumers and manufacturers from illegal counterfeit imaging supplies. 

The ICCE explained that the imaging 

consumables industry is currently threatened 

by a €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) black market 

in counterfeit imaging supplies which can 

be dangerous, environmentally unfriendly 

and which cheat consumers of the quality 

they expect from branded consumables. The 

supply of counterfeit imaging consumables 

also threatens the jobs and livelihoods of 

workers across the UK and US. 

ICCE said that it is therefore vital that 

any post-COVID-19 FTA appropriately 

recognises the risk that counterfeit imaging 

supplies, and other dangerous or substandard 

imaging supplies, pose to original imaging 

supplies manufacturers (OEMs) and their 

consumers. 

Recognising the importance of IP law and 

e-commerce rules in any future US-UK trade 

relationship, ICCE said it welcomes the UK’s 

objective to “secure provisions that promote 

the transparent and efficient administration 

and enforcement of IP rights, and facilitate 

cross-border collaboration on IP matters”. 

As the United States and United Kingdom 

transition from discussions under the US-UK 

Trade and Investment Working Group to the 

initiation of formal trade negotiations, ICCE 

highlights the importance of improving anticounterfeit 

measures in the UK and the US 

to meet the needs of consumers and business. 

A full position paper has been published by 

ICCE on its website. 

Amongst the proposals, ICCE calls for 

greater cross-border cooperation between the 

US and UK authorities in tackling the trade 

of counterfeits entering into the US-UK 

region as well as tackling traders located in 

the UK or US which seek to take advantage 

of an FTA to distribute counterfeit goods 

more widely. 

ICCE also calls for increasing obligations 

on ISPs to make greater efforts to reduce 

the prevalence of counterfeit and dangerous 

goods being traded online. 

Post COVID-19, consumers and businesses 

must have confidence in the online 

environment, ICCE said and added that the 

trade in counterfeit and dangerous goods 

online through platforms and websites 

undermines consumer confidence in 

e-commerce as a whole and harms economic 

growth. In this regard, ICCE welcomes the 

consideration of the SHOP SAFE ACT 

2020 currently under consideration by the 

House Judiciary Committee of the House of 

Representatives in the US. 

ICCE said it would like to see similar 

measures adopted in the UK and in any 

event, no dilution of the obligations requiring 

ISPs to remove infringing content in order 

to claim the defences provided by Electronic 

Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 

(implementing the E-Commerce Directive). 

Improvements to the current UK legislative 

framework could require: 

• ISPs to take actions against those who 

use and abuse their services to sell 

counterfeit or dubious consumable 

products online; 

• Obligations on ISPs to have established 

Know Your Customers (KYC) 

mechanisms requiring ISPs to hold a 

minimum requirement of information 

on their customer in order to assist law 

enforcement authorities and aggrieved 

civil parties. 

• Consumers can be seriously harmed by 

these fake products: ICCE members 

have received reports of counterfeit 

cartridges containing petroleum. 

If used, they would cause a printer 

to explode with potentially severe 

consequences for the user. 

ICCE said it stands ready to engage 

constructively with both governments 

and urges the US and UK during the 

negotiation process to consider the 

challenges that consumers and printing 

supply manufacturers face in the online 

environment. ■ 


September 2020 15

WORLD FOCUS 

EUROPE Messe Frankfurt, Events, Paperworld, Remanexpo 

Sustainability to be a top 

theme at Paperworld 2021 

For the first time, Paperworld will take place from 30 

January to 2 February 2021 with an overriding central 

theme: sustainability. 

The three topics of environmentally 

conscious shopping, ecological practices and 

sustainability have been key issues in the 

paper, office supplies and stationery sector 

for a long time. They have also been part 

of Paperworld for many years and will be 

brought directly into focus in 2021 with the 

focus on sustainability. 

This is not just about exhibitors' products, 

but a holistic concept based on three 

pillars: The first and largest pillar is made 

up of the exhibitors, who are represented 

with sustainable products at the trade fair 

for stationery, office supplies and writing 

instruments in Frankfurt am Main. 

The hall concept and combination of 

product groups in the Remanexpo area 

are being adapted for Paperworld 2021. 

The zone concept is a fresh approach to a 

changing market. A market where reuse, 

distribution and new products, technologies 

and services are competing to engage 

with the market. Each zone has its unique 

identity and enables exhibitors to position 

their business, products and services in the 

relevant zone. 

Nowadays, manufacturers from all 

office and stationery segments are 

increasingly focusing on sustainable and 

environmentally friendly goods and their 

production. To make these even more 

visible to visitors, Paperworld is introducing 

sustainability as a “Special Interest”. This 

is a labelling system that clearly identifies 

manufacturers with sustainable products, 

both in the exhibitor search on the website 

and in the app and catalogue. "Under the 

search term 'Sustainability' on the website, 

it will be possible to display all exhibitors in 

this area. This will make it even easier for 

visitors to find the respective manufacturers 

in the halls. Moreover, they will be able to 

gather information about the products and 

the company in advance in the exhibitor 

search", said Michael Reichhold, Director of 

Paperworld. 

The second pillar is the complementary 

programme of events, where sustainability 

issues are integrated in a wide variety of 

ways. The special "Future Office" exhibition 

will also be devoted to the central theme of 

sustainability in 2021. Sustainable products, 

eco-fair purchasing and environmentally 

friendly solutions for the office will be 

presented both within the area and in 

the speaker programme. The focus of the 

lecture days will vary on each occasion: On 

Saturday, the office trend forum focuses on 

"Green Office: The Sustainable Solution". 

Sunday and Monday are aimed at 

architects, planners and interior designers, 

and highlight relevant developments in 

office concepts and the design of sustainable 

buildings. The motto for this day is: 

Sustainability: for office buildings, office 

planning and office furnishings. The 

cooperation partner is PSA Publishers / 

world-architects. 

On Tuesday, the Sustainable Office Day 

moves into the "Future Office" for the first 

time. The diverse specialist presentations 

on environmentally conscious purchasing 

will be accompanied by best practice 

examples from the winners of the "Office 

& Environment" competition, which will 

provide practical solutions for sustainable 

and environmentally friendly office 

equipment. The kick-off for next year's 

"Office & Environment" competition 

will also take place under the patronage 

of Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister of the 

Environment. The theme day is directed 

at specialist stationery, office supplies and 

writing instrument retailers, buyers of 

commercial office supplies, and the specialist 

trade in the office furnishings sector. 

The third pillar is the cooperation with 

associations and clubs, which inform both 

visitors and exhibitors about their activities 

and the latest developments in sustainability. 

The Agency for Renewable Resources 

(Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe 

- FNR) will be presenting itself with the 

"Renewable Office". 

By the autumn, additional programme 

items will be developed to integrate 

sustainability into other areas of Paperworld. 

The trade fair trio of Christmasworld, 

Paperworld, including Remanexpo in hall 

6.1, and Creativeworld, makes face-to-face 

meetings possible with its new protection 

and hygiene concept in times of COVID-19. 

Messe Frankfurt has devised a concept 

that includes detailed organisational, 

hygiene and medical measures to ensure 

safe personal contacts. 

The protection and hygiene concept 

will already be implemented at the first 

events in autumn 2020 and at next year's 

spring fairs on the Frankfurt am Main 

exhibition grounds - this also applies 

to Christmasworld (29.1.-2.2.2021), 

Paperworld, and Creativeworld (30.1.- 

2.2.2021). 

"As organisers of the trade fairs, the safety 

of all exhibitors, visitors, partners and 

employees is of paramount importance for 

us. At the same time, we are keen to provide 

manufacturers and dealers with a great 

opportunity to relaunch their business with 

our platform. Thanks to the protection and 

hygiene concept, we are able to facilitate 

the personal contact that is so important 

at our trade fairs with the necessary safety. 

Because, following the lockdown, the 

need for personal encounters and physical 

exchange is immense in our segments and 

we are delighted to be able to make this 

possible again", said Julia Uherek, Group 

Show Director Consumer Goods, Messe 

Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH. 

The concept was drawn up and approved 

in recent weeks together with the relevant 

authorities of the State of Hesse and 

follows the recommendations of the 

Robert Koch Institute. 

"We are very pleased to have elaborated a 

concept in agreement with the authorities 

that enables us to carry out trade fairs safely 

and in this way make personal meetings in 

Frankfurt am Main possible once again. 

In doing so, we are offering international 

industries a business platform with which 

they can initiate business contacts for 2021," 

added Uherek. 

It is expected that the protection and 

hygiene regulations will be updated in line 

with official requirements by the time the 

spring trade fairs take place in January. ■ 



NORTH AMERICA Amazon, Counterfeiters, Fight Crime 

Amazon to name and shame 

counterfeiters? 

After the announcement of the anti-counterfeiting unit, reports emerge that 

Amazon is intending to publicly name counterfeiters to hold them accountable. 

In June, Amazon announced it has 

established a new Counterfeit Crimes 

Unit, dedicated to bringing counterfeiters 

that violate the law and Amazon’s policies 

by listing counterfeit products in its store 

to justice. Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes 

Unit is a global, multi-disciplinary team 

composed of former federal prosecutors, 

experienced investigators, and data analysts, 

and will join Amazon’s extensive work to 

drive counterfeit to zero. 

Business Insider said that in a note sent 

to Amazon sellers, the e-commerce giant 

said that effective 1 September, it requires 

all third-party resellers to list their names 

and addresses on the platform. This, 

according to the publication is set to bring 

transparency for consumers and to enable 

an informed purchasing decision. 

Dharmesh Mehta, Vice President, 

Customer Trust and Partner Support, 

Amazon said: “Every counterfeiter is on 

notice that they will be held accountable to 

the maximum extent possible under the law, 

regardless of where they attempt to sell their 

counterfeits or where they’re located.” 

Mehta added: “We are working hard 

to disrupt and dismantle these criminal 

networks, and we applaud the law 

enforcement authorities who are already 

part of this fight. We urge governments 

to give these authorities the investigative 

tools, funding, and resources they need 

to bring criminal counterfeiters to justice 

because criminal enforcement – through 

prosecution and other disruption measures 

such as freezing assets – is one of the most 

effective ways to stop them.” ■ 


September 2020 17

WORLD FOCUS 

GLOBAL Canon, IP, Settlement, Lawsuit, Amazon Removals 

Canon continues to file Report Infringement Forms 

and settles with Globest Trading & M & S Vertrieb 

Service OHG 

The OEM announced it requested removal of toner cartridges from Amazon in Europe, US, Canada and adds Mexico 

into the country mix. 

Canon Inc. announced the filing of 

Report Infringement Forms with Amazon. 

de based on the alleged use of claims 1 

and 2 of the German portion of Canon's 

European Patent EP 1 977 289 ("EP '289") 

regarding the cartridge models CC530A, 

CC531A, CC532A, CC533A, CE410A, 

CE411A, CE412A, CE413A, CB540A, 

CB541A, CB542A, CB543A, CE320A, 

CE321A, CE322A and CE323A offered by 

Taiguxianjin fengrizadian. 

Canon also announced the filing of an 

infringement report with Amazon.mx 

seeking the removal of Amazon.mx listings 

for certain toner cartridges sold by JinNiu 

QuHe HaiRong RiYong PinJing YingBu 

for use in HP laser beam printers. 

Canon's infringement report alleged 

that claim 65 of Mexican Patent Number 

317598 was infringed by certain models 

CC530A, CC531A, CC532A and CC533A 

toner cartridges offered by Jin NiuQuHe 

HaiRong RiYong PinJing YingBu under 

the Amazon Standard Identification 

Numbers (ASINs) B07VBMLDHG, 

B07XRH8BNR, B07XC735D7, 

B07XRPMBJN and B07VDQY24Z. 

The OEM filed an infringement report 

with Amazon.ca seeking the removal of 

an Amazon.ca listing for certain toner 

cartridges sold by HEH AIRIYO NGPIN. 

Canon requested removal of toner 

cartridges offered by junbsao from Amazon 

Australia and by Indigo Home & Office 

Ltd. from Amazon UK. 

Furthermore, the OEM reported that 

it has requested the removal of toner 

cartridges offered by NineLeafToner from 

Amazon.com, Printperfect Ltd, trading as 

"PerfectPrint" via several European Amazon 

sites and by florences from Amazon Canada. 

In Canada, Canon filed an infringement 

report with Amazon.ca seeking the removal 

of an Amazon.ca listing for certain toner 

cartridges sold by florences. 

Canon filed more infringement forms in 

the US and Australia, where it requested 

the removal of toner cartridge offered by 

OFFICEWORLD_TEC and AB Volts 

from Amazon US and NK STORE AU 

from Amazon Australia. 

In the courts….Canon Inc., Globest 

Trading Inc., and Globest’s parent company, 

Internet Brand Development (HK) Limited 

(IBD), have entered into a settlement 

agreement to amicably resolve the pending 

lawsuit between Canon and Globest in the 

Central District of California. 

The lawsuit involved the compatible 

versions of Globest’s toner cartridge models 

CF210X, CF211A, CF212A, CF213A, 

CB540A, CB541A, CB542A, CB543A, 

CE320A, CE321A, CE322A, CE323A, 

CRG-116, CRG-131H, CE410X, CE411A, 

CE412A, CE413A, CF380X, CF381A, 

CF382A, CF383A, CC530A, CC531A, 

CC532A, CC533A, CRG-118, PTCF210A, 

PTCF211A, PTCF212A, and PTCF213A, 

which are compatible with Canon toner 

cartridge models 116, 118, 131, and 131II 

and HP toner cartridge models 125A, 

128A, 131A, 131X, 304A, 305A, 305X, 

312A, and 312X, and seven patents that 

Canon alleged were infringed. 

Globest disputed Canon’s claim and filed 

a counterclaim for invalidity, which Canon 

denied. 

To resolve the dispute, Globest agreed 

to a consent judgment and permanent 

injunction in which it agreed not to sell the 

compatible versions of the cartridges listed 

above that Canon alleged infringed its seven 

patents, or any similar version that infringes 

those patents. 

As part of the settlement, IBD and its 

affiliates also agreed not to sell those 

toner cartridges in the US and various 

other countries. 

Globest Trading Inc. stated that nothing 

in the settlement agreement prevents 

Globest or IBD from making, using, selling 

or offering for sale toner cartridges that do 

not infringe Canon’s patents. 

The seven patents at issue in the lawsuit 

are U.S. Patent Nos. 7,869,740 B2, 8,165,494 

B2, 8,588,646 B2, 8,971,760 B2, 9,494,916 

B2, 9,857,763 B2, and 10,162,304 B2. 

Globest Trading is registered in California 

and sells ink and toner cartridges. IBD is 

registered in Hong Kong and its primary 

business is electronic products, office 

supplies, clothing, instruments and 

apparatuses and import/export. 

In Germany, Canon and M & S Vertrieb 

Service GmbH (legal successor of M & 

S Vertrieb Service OHG) as well as its 

managing directors agreed to resolve 

their pending patent dispute by signing 

a settlement agreement. M & S Vertrieb 

Service OHG inter alia made a cease and 

desist declaration based on the infringement 

of the German portion of Canon's 

European Patent EP 2 087 407 B1. 

Furthermore, M & S Vertrieb 

Service OHG paid damages for past 

infringements to Canon. 

Further details of the settlement 

agreement are confidential. ■ 



EUROPE Spain, Guardia Civil, E-Waste, WEEE, Environmental Crime 

Spain: More e-waste crime exposed 

In another raid by the Spanish Civil Guard in the Canary Islands, 700 kg of electrical waste and electronic equipment 

was among the waste seized after a two-year investigation. 

Europol’s support was key to cracking 

the case given the different nationalities 

of the suspects. Europol’s experts from 

the Environmental Crime Unit supported 

the investigation by providing operational 

analysis and expert liaison with third parties 

An organised crime group has been 

dismantled by the Spanish Civil Guard 

SEPRONA, with the support of Europol 

and the Italian Carabinieri for illegally 

moving hazardous waste from the Canary 

Islands to several countries in Africa. Those 

arrested are also suspected of document 

fraud to carry out their illegal activities. 

The criminals loaded maritime containers 

with second-hand items, such as vehicle 

parts, household goods, and a huge 

amount of electrical waste and electronic 

equipment. The investigation carried out 

by the Spanish officers concluded that 

the unwanted electronics were shipped 

to several countries in Africa to be sold 

on to buyers there. The items sold were 

all obsolete and were not fit for use as the 

criminal network had primarily sourced 

the equipment from rubbish bins and on 

the street. 

One Italian woman was arrested while 

preparing the necessary customs clearance 

documents for the customs agency. The 

documents found included falsified 

certificates of the electrical devices. 

In 2018 and 2019, the network shipped 

goods 138 times from the port of Tenerife 

(Canary Islands) to several countries in 

Africa. The total amount of hazardous 

waste illegally shipped during that period 

is estimated to be around 2 500 000 kg – 

over 750 000 kg of which was waste from 

electrical and electronic equipment. 

Recently The Recycler reported that the 

Civil Guard in the Murcia region in South 

East Spain raided a clandestine warehouse 

in Baños y Mendigo (Murcia) and found 

5,000 tons of used printer toners. The 

Civil Guard is now investigating three 

people involved in the management of this 

waste from different points of the national 

geography such as Madrid, Barcelona, 

Toledo, Castellón, Cádiz and Cantabria, 

among others, as well as imported from 

Italy. 

More e-waste crime was exposed days 

later when Spanish police arrested and 

afterwards released five people who are 

associated with an Aznalcóllar company 

involved in the recycling 

of electronic material. 

EL MUNDO reported that Recilec, a 

company that recycles WEEE has been 

under investigation for environmental 

crimes. The website said that the company 

is 25% owned by the Environment and 

Water Agency of the Junta de Andalucía. 

Five people have been arrested who are 

associated with the company, but it is still 

unclear what the investigation has found. 

The Manager of Recilec told EL MUNDO 

“that the arrests and charges were made this 

Wednesday and would be the result of the 

analysis of the information seized during a 

search carried out a little over a year ago.” 

The case is still under summary secrecy 

so details cannot be accessed at this time. 

The Manager is hoping that this will be 

lifted soon so the accused can prepare their 

defence accordingly. 

Editor’s Note: It will be interesting 

to follow this case and see what the 

environmental crime was since Spain has in 

recent weeks become the subject of several 

WEEE crime related issues. ■ 


September 2020 19

WORLD FOCUS 

GLOBAL Study, Market Research, Sustainability 

Sustainability high on buyer’s agenda 

A recent study revealed that 79% of buyers are rethinking their buying behaviour and place more value on social 

responsibility, inclusiveness and environmental friendliness. 

A study by Capgemini has shown that a 

rethink is taking place, also in Germany: 

79% of buyers are rethinking their buying 

behaviour and attach more importance 

to social responsibility, inclusiveness 

and environmental friendliness. For 

good reason, almost two thirds of the 

respondents (64%) say that it makes them 

happy. 

Capgemini says that COVID-19 has 

increased awareness and commitment to 

sustainable shopping. 67% of consumers 

are more critical of the shortage of 

natural resources due to the corona crisis, 

65% want to become more aware of the 

consequences of their consumption in the 

"New Normal". 

Worldwide, more than 7,500 consumers 

and 750 companies (CPR) from nine 

countries worldwide participated in the 

Capgemini Research Institute "Consumer 

Goods and Retail: How Sustainability 

fundamentally changes consumer 

preferences" study. 

"So far, many organisations have treated 

sustainability like a nice-to-have," said 

Martin Arnoldy, Head of Consumer 

Goods and Retail at Capgemini in 

Germany. “However, the corona 

pandemic has now increased the desire for 

authenticity and responsibility worldwide, 

especially in large companies. For the own 

brands of our supermarkets in particular, 

I see a real opportunity to position 

themselves - which, incidentally, also 

increases the pressure on the brand owners 

to follow suit..." 

Sustainability aspects influence the 

consumption behaviour of more than half 

of the population today. The study showed 

that around every second consumer 

(48% in Germany, 53% internationally) 

switches to less known brands if they 

are more sustainable. More than half of 

the consumers (52%) state that they have 

an emotional connection to products 

or organizations that they perceive as 

sustainable. In addition, more than half 

of the respondents (64% of Germans, 68% 

international) are increasingly considering 

local products that they consider safer and 

more sustainable. 

Retailers and manufacturers have 

now internalised the advantages that 

sustainability has for their customer 

relationships. 77% say that sustainability 

leads to more customer loyalty, while 63% 

confirm that it increases brand sales. 

Despite the intent to be sustainable, 

Capgemini said that there is a gap between 

what consumers think they know and 

what they actually understand about 

sustainability: 78% of consumers are 

not aware that you need 1,000 litres of 

water to make a candy bar and 68% do 

not know that an average burger leads 

to more emissions than a 15 km drive 

with the SUV. Almost 68% of consumers 

who bought these products were ready 

to buy a more sustainable product once 

they understood the sustainability issues. 

Capgemini explains that this means it 

is necessary to provide consumers with 

more information about sustainability. 

This result underscores the importance of 

brands that drive the sustainability agenda. 

However, this knowledge gap also 

exists among retailers and manufacturers 

who believe that their buyers know 

more than they do. A good two out of 

three executives (67% in Germany, 65% 

internationally) state that their consumers 

know their sustainability initiatives very 

well. However, every second consumer 

(46% in Germany, 49% internationally) 

states that he has no information to check 

the sustainability information of products. 

Almost half openly say that they do not 

trust the sustainability information on 

products (41% of Germans and 44% of all 

respondents). 

CPR organisations spend an average of 

1.9% of their earnings on sustainability 

initiatives. The average investment is 

almost $34 million (€29.33 million) in 

value and they are reluctant to spend 

more - nearly 80% of organisations cite 

the impact on margins or cost overruns 

as a challenge in scaling sustainability 

initiatives. For almost three out of four 

organisations, other issues have priority. 

Three in four (75%) of CPR organisations 

say they have a strategy, infrastructure, 

and resources to drive sustainability 

and circular economy efforts. However, 

less than a quarter of organisations have 

succeeded in implementing effective, 

company-wide initiatives. The most scaled 

initiatives are fair labour policies and safe 

working conditions. 48% of the companies 

state that they have reached a certain level 

in these areas. In contrast, sustainable 

IT, which is about reducing the carbon 

footprint of digital processes (e.g. energy 

efficiency in data centres), is only increased 

by 18%. 

According to Capgemini, although the 

pandemic is moving the circular economy 

back into focus, only 18% of managers have 

invested in circular economy initiatives 

and only 35% plan to invest in this area 

over the next three years. 

Pia Heidenmark Cook, Chief 

Sustainability Officer at Ingka Group, 

to which IKEA Germany belongs, said: 

“I think change management is a challenge 

that many organisations face. Many 

organisations have the impression that 

sustainability is more expensive. However, 

they do not realise that initiatives such as 

waste reduction or energy efficiency reduce 

their operating costs. So I would say that 

the most important challenge that stands 

in the way of sustainability is change 

management - showing the business 

case, why it makes sense, and influencing 

and inspiring people to 

understand why it makes a 

difference.” ■ 

Scan here: 



EMEA South Africa, SARS, Drugs, Printer Cartridges 

Meanwhile in South Africa… 

Drugs worth €31.6 thousand ($36 thousand) were discovered in two printer 

cartridges destined for Madagascar. 

The drugs were part of a €6 million 

($6.9 million) discovery made by South 

African Customs officials, aided by 

detector dogs, on Tuesday at OR Tambo 

International Airport in Johannesburg. 

Among the items, which were destined 

for foreign markets, was rhino horn 

believed to be worth over R115 million 

(€6 million/ $6.9 million). The items 

had been declared as “fine art”. 

The drugs were identified as ephedrine 

and with an estimated value of R600,000 

(€31.6 thousand/ $36 thousand) and 

were destined for Madagascar. 

SARS commissioner Edward 

Kieswetter welcomed the discovery of 

the illicit goods. “Criminal and illicit 

economic activities are rife and result 

in billions of Rands of losses in tax 

and customs revenue to the fiscus. In 

addition, it does serious harm to our 

domestic economy,” he said. ■ 

OPEN FOR BUSINESS 

ALL STOCK AVAILABLE 

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NORTH AMERICA Brother, GEO, USITC, IP 

USITC to issue GEO for Brother 

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) voted to 

institute an investigation of certain toner cartridges, components thereof, 

and systems containing same based on the complaint filed by Brother 

on 19 August 2019. 

The investigation is based on the 

complaint filed by Brother Industries, 

Ltd., of Aichi-ken, Japan; Brother 

International Corporation (U.S.A.) of 

Bridgewater, NJ; and Brother Industries 

(U.S.A.), Inc., of Bartlett, TN, on 19 

August 2019. 

The complaint alleged violations of 

section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in 

the importation into the United States 

and sale of certain toner cartridges, 

components thereof, and systems 

containing same that infringe patents 

asserted by the complainants. 

On 23 July The USITC has filed a 

“notice of initial determination granting 

summary determination of violation 

of section 337 and of recommended 

determination on remedy and bond” 

in which Administrative Law Judge 

Clark S. Cheney “recommended that the 

Commission issue a general exclusion 

order and various cease-and-desist orders 

as a remedy for this violation.” ■ 

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www.ecs-uk-ltd.com 

+44 (0)1427 337 351 

Effective Consumable Solutions 


September 2020 21

CITY NEWS 

OEM share prices 

August 2020 

Share Prices 

Company JULY AUGUST 

Brother Industries (Yen) ¥ 1936 1694 

Canon (Yen) ¥ 2133 1793.5 

Dainippon Ink & Chemicals (Yen) 

Sun Chemicals parent company 

¥ 2758 2669 

HP Inc. (US$) $ 17.07 18.27 

Hubei Dinglong (RMB) ¥ 16.58 19.59 

Jadi (MYR) M 0.055 0.13 

LG Chem (S Korean Won) W 509k 746k 

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. 

(Yen) Panasonic parent company 

¥ 974.2 891.2 

Mitsubishi Chemicals (Yen) ¥ 639.1 604.4 

Ninestar Corporation (RMB) 

Formerly Apex Microelectronics 

¥ 35.08 39.37 

Oki (Yen) ¥ 1073 973 

Seiko Epson (Yen) ¥ 1253 1175 

Turbon AG (Euro) € 2 1.62 

Xerox (US$) $ 15.73 16.35 

UK Waste Prices 

price per tonne 

Aluminium € 90.56 43.15 

Plastic € 175.84 112.89 

Paper € 23.6 12.12 

Currency 

€/US$ 1.13 1.18 

€/£ 0.9 0.9 

£/US$ 1.25 1.31 

£/€ 1.11 1.11 

Oil Price 

Crude oil - (US$) 'Brent Crude 

futures, 1-Pos IPE close' per barrel* 

Shipping Prices 

Europe 

(Hamburg/Antwerp/Felixstowe 

/Le Havre) 

Mediterranean 

(Barcelona/ Valencia/Genoa/Naples) 

USWC 

(Los Angeles/Long Beach/Oakland) 

USEC 

(New York/ Savannah /Norfolk 

/Charleston) 

Prices correct as of 1 st August 2020 

$ 43.48 44.74 

$ 907 910 

$ 970 940 

$ 2920 3144 

$ 3459 3504 

Sources: HMRC, FT.com, krx.co.kr tse.or.jp, Environment Exchange, 

packagingnews.co.uk *Brent Crude price is for July 2020 

EUROPE EveryonePrint, One Q, Acquisition 

EveryonePrint 

acquires One Q 

The move, which will see a team of experienced people, 

including developers and engineers, join the EveryonePrint 

cohort, will enable the company to rapidly strengthen its 

offer to address ever-changing market needs and make 

cloud printing accessible to more customers and partners. 

The second edition of 

Quocirca’s landmark Print 2025 

market insight study revealed 

that more organisations are 

taking advantage of cloud-based 

print management, with 73% of 

respondents stating they expect 

to increase usage by 2025. The 

global pandemic has provoked 

a further acceleration in the 

adoption of cloud technologies, 

with 71% of print industry 

executives responding to 

Quocirca’s COVID-19 Business 

Impact Survey stating that they 

expect demand for cloud-based 

print management to expand. 

EveryonePrint will be drawing 

on the collective expertise of 

One Q, creators of the One Q 

Secure Cloud Print Management 

solution and technologies such as 

One Client, designed to support 

its public cloud solution, to flex 

and scale to meet this increased 

demand, thus cementing its 

position as a leader in the cloud 

printing market. 

The acquisition of One Q 

brings together two companies 

focused on consistently 

delivering innovative, best-ofbreed 

technology offerings. The 

transaction also adds significant 

capabilities to EveryonePrint’s 

overall proposition for the 

channel, the company added. 

“The strategic combination 

of EveryonePrint and One Q 

will build upon the success of 

EveryonePrint Hybrid Cloud 

Platform (HCP), our multitenant 

Software as a Service 

(SaaS) cloud print infrastructure 

platform,” said Tavs Dalaa, 

CEO, EveryonePrint. “Demand 

for HCP has exceeded all our 

projections, we have seen a 300% 

growth over the past 12 months. 

This investment provides us 

with the opportunity to rapidly 

scale and will further strengthen 

our ability to support our global 

partners as they strive to meet 

the pressing requirement to 

accelerate cloud adoption.” 

One Q’s solutions are 

compatible with almost all 

printers and MFPs; in private, 

public and hybrid clouds; (as well 

as onsite local area networks) and 

support more than 20 different 

languages. “Extending our 

technical capability and R&D 

resource, marks a significant 

opportunity for our channel 

partners and their customers. 

Through the delivery of futureproof 

cloud technologies and 

services, we will empower our 

partners to accelerate their 

customers’ migration to the 

cloud, reduce the cost and 

complexity associated with a 

traditional print environment, 

and ultimately achieve business 

growth,” Dalaa added. 

“We are excited about the 

collaboration, the team at One 

Q bring a wealth of knowledge 

and customer relationships 

gained from more than 15 years 

in business. By bringing the 

two entities together, we can 

expedite development on future 

products and ultimately deliver 

on our strategic goal to be the 

No.1 cloud platform for print 

infrastructure,” he concluded. ■ 



ASIA Ninestar, Pantum, Acquisition 

Ninestar plans to purchase 100% 

of Pantum shares 

The company announced a major asset restructuring plan, whereby it plans 

to issue shares and pay cash to purchase all of Zhuhai Pantum Electronics 

Co., Ltd. 

The notice states that Ninestar Co., Ltd. 

plans to issue shares and pay cash for 100% 

equity in Zhuhai Pantum Electronics Co., 

Ltd. (Pantum Electronics). 

To complete the transaction the 

company has suspended trading from 

22 July in accordance with all relevant 

regulations. During the trading 

suspension period, the company will 

strictly follow the relevant laws and 

regulations and it is required to perform 

information disclosure obligations 

in a timely manner, and publish an 

announcement on the progress of relevant 

matters every five trading days. 

After the completion of this 

reorganisation, Ninestar Co., Ltd. will 

hold 100% of Pantum Electronics. The 

reorganisation plan was approved by the 

shareholders. ■ 

EUROPE Office Depot Europe, Lyreco, Contract Business 

Lyreco acquires Office Depot’s 

Spanish portfolio 

Office Depot Europe, a portfolio company of AURELIUS Equity Opportunities 

SE & Co. KGaA has agreed to sell its Spanish contract business unit to Lyreco, a 

provider of office supplies headquartered in Marly, France. 

The contract business unit ranks among the 

leading players in the Spanish market, serving 

small, medium and large international and 

national blue-chip companies from various 

industries. 

The sale comes after a successful 

realignment of the Spanish contract business 

since the group was acquired by AURELIUS 

in January 2017. Over the last three years, 

the assortment was expanded away from 

what was a stationary focus to end-to-end 

workspace solutions and product offerings 

including furniture key turn projects and 

managed print services. 

Lyreco said it will integrate this business 

with its existing Spanish presence and 

continue to develop the business. 

Lyreco took to LinkedIn to greet its new 

colleagues and said: “We are pleased to 

announce that Lyreco has acquired the 

Office Depot contract sales operations in 

Spain! 

“Joining the force and expertise of Office 

Depot and Lyreco sales and customer service 

teams in Spain will support our mission: to 

be pioneers in delivering sustainably what any 

workplace needs so its people can focus on 

what matters most. 

“We wish our new colleagues and customers 

a warm welcome - and a Great Working Day 

with Lyreco!” 

The sale of the Spanish contract business 

unit is part of the ongoing transformation of 

Office Depot Europe, AURELIUS said. It 

is the third exit of an Office Depot business 

to complete in the past nine months. Office 

Depot Europe sold its Central Eastern 

European business in November 2019 and 

its Nordic division in May 2020. The exit 

of Office Depot's Spanish contract business 

follows the same strategic rationale, freeing 

resources to allow Office Depot Europe 

to focus on its core European ecommerce 

centric business activities. ■ 



23

CITY NEWS 

NORTH AMERICA Genuine Parts Company, S.P. Richards Company, Business 

Genuine Parts Company sells S.P. Richards Company 

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) announced that it has completed the sale of its S.P. Richards operations through two 

separate transactions. 

The Company has sold S.P. Richards' 

core US operations to an Investor Group 

led by industry professionals and has sold 

S.P. Richards' Supply Source Enterprises 

business (SSE), comprised of The Safety 

Zone and Impact Products operations, to 

an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital. 

Both transactions are effective, 30 June 

2020. GPC said it expects to use the 

net cash proceeds from the transactions 

to enhance its cash position for capital 

allocation and to repay debt. 

Paul Donahue, Chairman and Chief 

Executive Officer of GPC, stated: "The 

sale of S.P. Richards represents the further 

streamlining of our operations and a 

significant step forward in our longterm 

strategy to optimise our portfolio. 

With this divestiture, we will continue 

to opportunistically expand our global 

footprint and strengthen our focus on 

sustainable, value-driving initiatives 

associated with our faster growing and 

higher margin automotive and industrial 

businesses." 

S.P. Richards Co. is a leading national 

business products wholesaler that 

distributes more than 98,000 products to 

9,000 resellers and distributors throughout 

the United States from a network of 44 

locations. Its core US operations offer 

products and services in four primary 

product categories, including general 

office products, technology products and 

accessories, office furniture and JanSan 

and safety supplies, to national and 

independent business products resellers 

and janitorial supply distributors. 

The Safety Zone and Impact Products 

operations specialise in providing 

personal protective equipment and 

janitorial, safety, hygiene and sanitation 

products to a diversified customer base, 

including janitorial and sanitation 

supply distributors, safety products 

resellers, foodservice and food processing 

distributors and retailers. 

Donahue added: "On behalf of the GPC 

Board and management team, I want to 

thank Rick Toppin and the S.P. Richards 

team, whose hard work and dedication has 

made these transactions possible. Both the 

Investor Group and H.I.G. are supported 

by talented and experienced teams, and we 

are confident they are the right partners 

to lead these respective operations into the 

future. We look forward to working closely 

with them to support a smooth transition 

for our employees, customers and supply 

base, particularly during the ongoing 

challenges presented by COVID-19." 

Yancey Jones, on behalf of the Investor 

Group, said: "Our group comprises 

several industry leaders who envision 

a new, industry-changing alignment 

and partnership among manufacturers, 

wholesalers and resellers. This represents 

a shift in the traditional industry supply 

chain that will eliminate redundant 

costs and help all partners become more 

competitive. The acquisition of S.P. 

Richards' core US operations represents a 

major step forward in this process, and we 

are focused on strengthening our mutually 

beneficial partnerships and driving longterm, 

sustainable value creation." 

Rahul Vinnakota, Managing Director 

at H.I.G., said: "SSE offers an extensive 

product portfolio and differentiated valueadded 

services to distributors servicing 

a wide array of end users across several 

end markets. We appreciate the loyalty 

and support of SSE's strong customer 

base during these difficult times and look 

forward to continuing to exceed their 

expectations in the future. H.I.G. will 

bring additional expertise and resources 

to SSE to support management as they 

continue to broaden SSE's customer base, 

expand offerings and enhance services. 

Importantly, given the critical role of these 

businesses in the COVID-19 pandemic, we 

remain committed to ensuring continuity 

of service to customers while prioritising 

the wellbeing of employees." 

J.P. Morgan is acting as financial advisor 

and Troutman Sanders LLP is acting as 

legal counsel to GPC. 

B. Riley Financial is acting as financial 

advisor and Whiteford Taylor Preston, 

LLP is acting as legal counsel to the 

Investor Group. Harris Williams and 

Robert W. Baird are acting as financial 

advisors and McDermott, Will & Emery is 

acting as legal counsel to H.I.G. Capital. ■ 



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25

AROUND THE INDUSTRY 

EUROPE HP, ETIRA, Firmware 

HP urged to take ‘path 

of sustainability’ 

The European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association (ETIRA) 

is urging HP to rethink its latest printer firmware update. 

Earlier this month The Recycler reported 

that HP had issued yet another firmware 

update, version 2025A/2021B that 

affects HP OfficeJet 5220, 5255, 5230, 

5232, HP ENVY 5020, 5032 and HP 

DeskJet 2621 devices. 

ETIRA commented that “in the past, 

similar updates have blocked out reused 

HP cartridges across the globe, causing 

significant financial damage to end-users, 

resulting in many claims against HP.” 

Javier Martinez, president of ETIRA, 

said: “It is quite clear that HP printer 

owners using reuse cartridges who update 

the firmware, may find that their cartridges 

no longer work, and this is down to HP. 

Its printers use something called ‘dynamic 

security’, which recognises cartridges that 

aren’t HP branded and stops them from 

working and this is unacceptable for a 

variety of important reasons. 

Firstly, the result of the overnight 

change is that reuse/remanufactured HP 

cartridges no longer function in the printer 

in which they are installed, and they may 

render remanufactured stock cartridges 

useless. End-users can no longer print, and 

this is especially painful in the current 

COVID-19 environment, where many are 

forced to use home printers to do their job. 

Secondly, the resulting higher volume 

of non-working but full cartridges 

exponentially increases waste treatment 

risks, as treatment plants are designed to 

process empty cartridges, not full ones. 

And finally, but most important: this 

approach has an unnecessary and negative 

environmental impact as good products 

are wasted prematurely and unnecessarily. 

Reuse of a cartridge several times, followed 

by recycling its base materials is by far 

the preferred option as it reduces CO2 

emissions by up to 45%-60%, and saves 

energy and natural resources.” 

“Our members will hold HP responsible 

and liable for all damages occurring 

from this update and under the new EU 

Circular Economy Action plan mandate 

and existing waste regulations, HP may 

find that its actions are considered an 

environmental offence.” 

ETIRA has mentioned this issue to HP 

on numerous occasions but so far to no 

satisfactory conclusion. The association 

has now again written to the firm, raising 

its concerns. 

Javier Martinez added: “HP’s printer 

cartridges business model is the opposite 

of sustainability, forcing end-users to buy a 

new cartridge each time instead of reusing it 

several times. It also renders reuse cartridges 

useless without cause and goes against the 

new EU policy to become carbon-neutral 

and promote reuse EU-wide. 

“On behalf of our members and all 

those across Europe who use reusable 

cartridges, we urge HP to abandon this 

strategy of creating pollution and take 

the path of sustainability instead which 

will allow consumers and third parties 

to easily reuse HP cartridges without 

being hindered by unnecessary firmware 

updates that block out remanufactured 

HP cartridges.” ■ 

EUROPE Katun, Stock in the 

Channel, E-Commerce 

Katun announces 

presence on 

‘Stock in the 

Channel’ 

Katun has teamed up with Stock 

in the Channel UK to provide the 

Office Equipment, Office Supply 

& IT Channel businesses an 

alternative avenue to access a wide 

range of Katun products. 

Stock in the Channel is an online 

search engine for IT & Office product 

resellers to find stock and pricing 

from all of their suppliers in one place, 

with over 50,000 registered users, 300 

distributors and 7 million products 

listed on their site globally. 

“We are very pleased to announce that 

we have a wide range of Katun products 

listed via Stock in the Channel,” said 

Heidi Boller, Katun EAME General 

Manager. “The company and website 

are renowned within the industry, 

therefore it was an easy decision to 

become incorporated on the site. We 

are all about simplifying processes and 

providing cost-effective solutions, so 

we hope our existing customers benefit 

from the addition, whilst we also 

welcome the opportunity to attract new 

customers to Katun.” 

Katun’s profile on Stock in the 

Channel can be accessed here: https:// 

www.stockinthechannel.co.uk/ 

Distributor/-New-Katun/9890 

For more than 40 years, Katun 

has been one of the world’s leading 

providers of OEM-compatible imaging 

supplies, photoreceptors, and parts 

for copiers, printers, MFPs, and other 

imaging equipment. From its humble 

beginnings in 1979, the company 

pioneered and helped legitimise the 

imaging supplies aftermarket. With all 

of its imaging industry expertise, Katun 

serves approximately 10,000 customers 

worldwide. ■ 





27


ASIA Ninestar, G&G, Donation, Building, Cartridge Recycling 

Ninestar starts cartridge recycling programme, 

continues 20 in 2020 celebrations and more 

The company said that as part of its strong commitment to preserving our planet, it has started a cartridge recycling 

programme under its G&G brand in Europe and USA. 

The new G&G cartridge recycling 

programme provides consumers a free, easy 

and environmentally responsible way to 

recycle empty ink cartridges. Consumers 

are encouraged to return their used ink 

cartridges to G&G Recycle Centres via 

a postage-paid envelope enclosed in the 

packaging of G&G-branded cartridges. 

“We want to play our part in addressing 

environmental issue. That’s why G&G is 

taking steps from the very beginning: the 

product design stage, which includes using 

more environmental compliant materials, 

reducing unnecessary packaging and 

improving product recycling system. Yet, 

addressing this issue is not a challenge G&G 

can tackle alone. Together we can do more 

for our planet. I believe G&G Recycling 

Program is exactly the essential part for us 

to engage with our suppliers, partners and 

consumers to help drive change at scale.” said 

Jackie Zhang, the Vice General Manager of 

Ninestar Image. 

A spike in consumer printer demand 

during COVID-19 lockdowns has helped 

overall sales through European distributors 

grow by 2.2% year-on-year in the first 18 

weeks of 2020, according to CONTEXT, 

the IT market intelligence company. 

Consumer unit sales across Europe spiked by 

72% year-on-year in week 14 (ending 5 April) 

and by 52% in week 12 (ending 22 March). 

To learn more about the G&G cartridge 

recycling programme, please send email to 

info@ggimage.com. 

It has been two decades since Ninestar 

was born of a small start-up located at the 

seashore of Zhuhai. 

In its latest promotion of its anniversary 

celebrations, Ninestar is reflecting on the 

past 20 years from an employee perspective, 

the importance of its employees and the 

company’s work culture. 

Proud about the past 20 years, Ninestar 

said: “Evidently, Ninestar’s accomplishments 

today cannot be separated from the value of 

loyalty, pragmatism, innovation and win-win 

idea rooted in every employee for the past 

20 years. Everyone’s dedication shall be 

cherished and treasured.” 

The company notes that its R&D 

colleagues immersing themselves in the 

laboratory to always ensure that the chips can 

be compatible whenever OEM printers have 

been upgraded, the sales team tirelessly reach 

out to clients all over the world to meet their 

demands and its manufacturing staff stick to 

the front line of production day and night, 

insisting to provide the best-quality products. 

Talking about its company culture, 

Jackson Wang, the Chairman of Ninestar 

Corporation, said the key of running a 

corporate shall fall into retaining the talents 

and modestly learning. Ninestar insists on 

regarding the development of employee as 

one of the priorities. Employees who give 

their heart and soul to the organisation 

are sincerely appreciated for sailing ahead 

together through glories and hardship. 

On 10 July 2020, and with the last bucket 

of concrete poured, the F1 building of the 

first phase project of Ninestar’s printer 

manufacturing base was successfully topped 

off. 

Construction of the 600,000 square metres 

printer manufacturing project began in 

April, 2019 and is designed for an annual 

output of 2 million units. The completed 

F1 building is one of the printer production 

workshops and has a construction area of 

56,000 square meters. 

Mr. Yan Wei, the President of Ninestar 

Corporation, said: “The completion of F1 

building is a milestone of Ninestar’s printer 

manufacturing base construction. I believe 

the new manufacturing base will greatly 

enhance Ninestar’s production capacity. This 

year, although the virus has affected pockets 

of business, travel and life in unexpected 

ways, we’re encouraged and excited to 

learn Ninestar’s printer business is bucking 

the trend. We look forward to the early 

completion of the whole project!” 

Qendra Spitalore Universitare "Nene 

Tereza”, named after Mother Teresa, is the 

largest hospital in Albania. With a 1612- 

bed capacity and over 2500 employees, it 

is the main hospital to treat patients with 

COVID-19 during the outbreak. 

Having learned about the hospital’s 

shortage of medical supplies and hoping 

to help Albanians make it through this 

crisis, G&G teamed up with its Albanian 

distributor to donate a batch of high-quality 

printer cartridges suitable for healthcare 

industry. 

G&G’s Albanian distributor said he 

was grateful for G&G’s strong support to 

local healthcare provider. “I hope our close 

partnership can continue well into the 

future,” he added. 

The Director of the Nene Tereza Hospital 

expressed her gratitude to G&G and its 

distributor. She believed G&G’s donation 

will help the continuity of their commitment 

to bring love and care to the patients and it 

plays an irreplaceable role in the fight against 

COVID-19, G&G said. ■ 



EUROPE MPS Monitor, Platinum Rating, BLI, Keypoint Intelligence 

MPS Monitor receives Platinum Rating 

MPS Monitor 2.0 received Platinum Rating from Buyers Laboratory, the highest rating in a comprehensive, 

independent lab evaluation. 

MPS Monitor has been awarded a 

Platinum Rating for its SaaS Cloud 

platform, after extensive and rigorous 

testing performed by Buyers Laboratory 

/ Keypoint Intelligence in five main 

categories: Features & Productivity, 

Usability, IT Admin & Security, Support 

& Training, Value. 

MPS Monitor said that by getting the 

highest rating available (5 / 5) in 3 of those 

categories, and a rating of 4/5 in the other 

two, MPS Monitor 2.0 has proven to be 

the leading SaaS monitoring solution in 

the worldwide MPS market, to partner 

with dealers and Managed Print providers 

in their journey towards innovation, 

service excellence and cost control. 

“BLI’s Platinum seal is an excellent 

achievement for us, that rewards the 

incredible job that the whole MPS 

Monitor team has done to create version 

2.0”, said Nicola De Blasi, CEO of MPS 

Monitor Srl. “Our clear objective since we 

started the design and implementation 

of the new version, was to position the 

platform way above the market in terms 

of feature richness, usability, security, 

integrability, and business value. The 

2020 BLI Report and the Platinum 

evaluation make us feel that this task was 

fully accomplished, and the excellent 

feedbacks that we get every day from 

thousands of dealers using MPS Monitor 

2.0 in more than 55 countries, are fully 

confirming this”, concluded De Blasi. 

The 2020 BLI Solution Report stated: 

“MPS Monitor is a full-featured MPS 

solution that lets dealers monitor print 

fleets dispersed among many customers, 

proactively manage consumables 

replenishment and use powerful and 

sophisticated tools to analyse data.” 

The report added: “Given its wealth of 

features, MPS Monitor is a great MPS 

solution”. 

For the last decade, MPS Monitor said 

it has been providing top-quality fleet 

monitoring, meters management and 

consumable logistics in a single, Cloud 

based, pay-per use platform to worldwide 

dealers. In 2016, the version 1.0 of the 

platform was first tested by BLI and 

achieved a Gold rating, that positioned 

it among the best platforms on the 

market at that time. 

The 2020 BLI testing assessed the new 

features that version 2.0 brings to users: 

a unique multi-platform, Clustered 

DCA technology provides maximum 

reliability and security in data collection; 

the off-the-shelf integrations with most 

standard ERP platforms and a full API 

/ SDK developer’s toolkit make easier 

than ever to integrate with dealer’s IT 

systems; security and privacy of data are 

managed within an ISO27001-certified 

environment; MS PowerBI Embedded 

Analytics and the new Supplies 

Intelligence module allow dealers to 

optimise their operational processes and 

analyse critical data through the most 

advanced AI and BI technologies. ■ 



29


ASIA HYB Toner, Distribution, Saudi Arabia 

HYB appoints new Business 

Development Manager and distributor 

HK HaoYinBao Group Co., Ltd. (HYB) announced Andres Rubio joins its 

family as Overseas Business Development Manager. 

Rubio joins HYB with more than 8+ years 

of experience in the aftermarket industry. 

Kim Lee, Sales Director of HYB 

welcomed Rubio and commented: “Andres 

successfully managed the sales relationships 

with customers in the assigned territories 

completing the assigned goals at 100% in 

his previous companies with know-how of 

products for photocopiers. We are glad that 

we have him here and he doesn’t have gap in 

getting to know our specific products and 

added value of our products.” 

As the Overseas Business Development 

Manager of HYB, Rubio is excited to join 

the Group and make use of his experience, 

▲ Andres Rubio Overseas Business 

Development Manager, HYB 

knowhow of the Industry and language 

skills (excellent French, Spanish, English 

and Portuguese) to boost the business 

development for HYB in the future. “There 

are already decades of my largest accounts 

who tried HYB products before and 

knew how they make difference in quality 

compared with most of other providers 

in Copier field. They do appreciate their 

persistence in good products and provision of 

service. It shouldn’t take much hard work for 

me to convince more customers for HYB and 

we expect a good growth of market share,” 

Rubio said. 

Even though the pandemic has been an 

interruption for all, HYB not only signed 

their new distributor but also witnessed the 

increase of sales with their distributor in 

Saudi Arabia. 

Saudi Arabia has spent more than $57 

billion (€50.41 billion) on initiatives 

designed to mitigate the impact of the 

ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, according to 

the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA). 

According to HYB, the SPA said that the 

money was spent on 142 separate initiatives, 

which have included support both the private 

and public sector, as well as wage protection 

measures, the suspension of a number of 

labour-related fines and the collection of 

customs duties on imports. Over 650,000 

people have directly benefited from the 

measures, according to the kingdom's 

Ministry of Finance. 

Mr. Sharaf, the General Manager of 

AATC (distributor of HYB in Saudi Arabia) 

said: “HYB is already a brand with great 

popularity in Saudi since we entered the 

market with the full range of toner and parts 

for use in Canon, Kyocera Mita, Ricoh and 

other relevant OEM brands. We had a more 

conservative order forecast initially due to 

the COVID-19. But the fact turned out to be 

that our stock of HYB copier toner finished 

earlier than expected and we had to order 

another container urgently to fill up the new 

built warehouse we just opened in AlHawari 

Street, AlMalaz, where we expanded only for 

HYB products." 

Earlier in June, HK HaoYinBao Group 

(HYB) announced their official new 

distributor for the territory of Malaysia is 

EDS OFFICE SUPPLY (EDS) for their HYB 

TONER brand. ■ 

EUROPE Armor, Packaging, Zero Plastics 

Armor has got it wrapped 

Armor has introduced a new 

packaging solution for its laser range 

of its OWA brand, eliminating 

plastics. 

In its commitment to a circular economy, 

Armor has managed to significantly reduce 

its impact on the planet and do its bit for 

fighting plastic waste. The company has 

introduced a new greener solution for its 

OWA laser cartridge range. 

Making the announcement, the company 

said: “At Armor Office Printing, we are 

proud to announce the launch of a new 

packaging solution for our OWA brand 

laser toner cartridge range! Our goal here is 

to offer a greener solution by reducing the 

environmental impact of our packaging.” 

According to Armor, its R&D team has 

been working on this new solution for the 

last 13 months but has managed to find a 

packaging solution that does not use any 

single-use plastics. 

As part of its “zero plastic” approach, 

Armor points out that this innovation will 

result in: 

• a reduction of 10 tonnes of 

plastic per year 

• smaller box sizes 

• optimised storage and transport 

• easier shelving for its customers’ stores 

and 

• optimised padding and filling for boxes 

to reduce the amount of space and 

cardboard wasted. ■ 



EUROPE RIS, InkCenter, Inkjet Refilling 

RIS and Migros France launch first InkCenter 

Retail Inkjet Solutions (RIS) and supermarket retailer Migros France announced the launch 

of the inkjet cartridge refill service at the Migros retail location in Thoiry, France. 

Customers are now able to reuse and 

refill their empty inkjet cartridges while 

they shop by dropping them off with a 

service team member at the InkCenter 

located within the hypermarket store. 

"We have seen continuous engagement 

with and success from our ink refill 

services in France over the past several 

years. Partnering with Migros France 

allows us to reach an even larger customer 

base that will now have access to a 

convenient and affordable way to refill 

their ink cartridges, while also reducing 

single-use plastic," said David Lenny, 

President and CEO of RIS. "Costefficiency 

is of particular importance 

during this pandemic, so we are pleased 

to have a strong partner in Migros as 

we work towards bringing affordable, 

high-quality ink and print clarity to 

consumers." 

This new partnership sets another 

milestone for RIS as part of its ongoing 

strategy to expand into the European 

market and to make the "Ink Bar" services 

readily available to shoppers there. 

Vincent Hormovitis, Vice President of 

Sales & Business Development at RIS, 

said: "Joining forces with Migros France 

in the installation of our InkCenter has 

been a significant step towards offering 

customers a more comprehensive and 

environmentally-friendly shopping 

experience in these trying times. As 

consumers and students alike are still 

urged to work from home in many places 

and are turning to their home printers, 

Migros understands the necessity 

of offering an economical solution 

for refilling inkjet cartridges." 

"The RIS InkCenter concept grabbed 

us immediately. It completely dovetails 

with our business strategy by offering our 

customers an environmentally responsible 

service that makes an economical addition 

to our existing inkjet cartridge range 

and is in line with our constant search 

for innovative products and services. 

We are certain that our customers will 

be very happy with this new service. 

We would like to thank the RIS sales, 

communication and IT teams who have 

so efficiently supported us in setting 

up this project," said Christel Tardy, Head 

of Non-Food at Migros France. ■ 



31


EUROPE Data Direct, New Hire, Business, Expansion 

Data Direct hires Graham Green 

The company took to LinkedIn to announce the appointment of Graham Green as Head of Strategic Partnerships. 

Data Direct said in its announcement 

that Green, well known in the industry, 

recently held the role of Sales Manager 

at PPC. 

Green, on joining Data Direct, 

said: “It’s an exciting time to join the 

business with all the brilliant products 

and partnership solutions available for 

dealers. The CET partnership, PIPS, 

BYBOX, PIXPAX are all industryleading 

solutions which support dealers. 

With my passion for the industry and 

unrivalled experience of the market, 

I am really looking forward to helping 

clients with solutions and improved 

profitability”. 

The company added that Green’s 

appointment comes as a result of a 

strong focus for the Data Direct core 

business, as well as providing support 

to dealers and new channels with 

new product ranges that have arisen 

since the COVID-19 outbreak: Local 

manufacturing of Homeworking desks, 

sourcing of quality PPE, and much 

more. 

To get in touch with Green, email him 

at graham.green@data-direct.co.uk. ■ 

▲ Graham Green Head of Strategic 

Partnerships, Data Direct 

NORTH AMERICA Clover Imaging Group, MSE, Distributor, Russia 

Clover Imaging Group introduces Russian distributor, 

reviews collection arm 

As an authorised Clover distributor for the Russian Federation, Office Assistant is introducing MSE-branded 

remanufactured cartridges to the Russian market. 

Office Assistant is a distributor of office 

and printer supplies and is an authorised 

distributor in Russia and is recognised 

as a trusted partner among leaders in 

the development and production of 

components for printing equipment such 

as Static Control Components Inc, Cactus, 

Pantum, CET Group, G&G and now, 

Clover Imaging Group. 

This new partnership enables Office 

Assistant to now also offer MSE-branded 

products to the Russian market. 

Clover Imaging Group said: “In being 

remanufactured, these premium IP 

safe cartridges make office printing 

more environmentally sustainable. 

This sustainability in combined with 

significant cost savings over the OEM, 

while simultaneously delivering OEM-like 

quality and reliability. 

“Working together with Office 

Assistant we look forward to building 

our partnership and to growing the MSE 

brand in Russia.” 

Clover Imaging Group said that in 

January 2020, the collections part of the 

Clover business, Clover Environmental 

Solutions (CES) was centralised at its facility 

in Germany - Clover Germany Gmbh. 

This integration of CES into Clover 

Imaging Group (CIG), established the 

Collecture brand as Clover’s empty 

collection programme across EMEA, 

and its German facility in Etteheim as a 

WEEE certified First Treatment facility. 

CIG said: “This centralisation of the 

Clover businesses was a logical one. CIG 

has grown into the largest remanufacturer 

of printer cartridges globally with 

manufacturing facilities in United States, 

Mexico, Asia, and Europe (Serbia).” 

CIG added that the empty cartridge 

forms the beginning of its circular 

economic process, which is cantered 

around the concept of re-use and that 

it has collected over 436 million cartridges 

and diverted 206 million kg of material 

from landfills. ■ 



EUROPE OCP, Compedo, Operations, Business 

OCP operations move complete 

Following the acquisition of OCP twenty months ago, Environmental Business Products Ltd (EBP) management team 

have confirmed that the relocation of OCP’s business operations to the Compedo facility in Iserlohn has been completed. 

EBP acquired in November 2019 and 

began centralising the sales, account 

management, distribution and new product 

development arms of the business at the 

Compedo facility in Iserlohn. 

Ink production is set to be moved from the 

current location in Lage to their new partner 

facility in Poland, and despite the challenges 

seen as a result of COVID-19, the team’s 

plans are still very much on target for 

the move. 

The current timeline for completion on 

this is the end of summer, at which point 

the facility in Lage will officially close 

and the team in Iserlohn will commence 

full operational control of the day-to-day 

running of the business, overseen by Richard 

Pennekamp and the senior EBP team. 

EBP said: “Plans are firmly in place 

to minimise any disruption to existing 

customers during this exciting transition but 

should anyone have any questions on how 

things may directly impact them, they are 

asked to contact orders@ocp.de.” 

The company added that the businesses 

will be looking to bring a range of new 

products to market this coming autumn. ■ 



33

INSIDE TRACK 

Industry Leaders Q&A 

COVID-19: Thrive on the things other people no longer need. 

Leon Jolly, Director and Co-Owner of The Jolly Savage Ltd, one of 

Europe’s leading specialist surplus consumable dealers talks about their 

experiences in the current COVID-19 market. 

▲ Leon Jolly Director & Co- 

Owner, The Jolly Savage Ltd 

The Recycler (TR): Tell us something 

about your business, how did it all 

begin? 

Leon Jolly (LJ): We were founded in 2009 

and rapidly established ourselves as one of 

the UK’s leading surplus toner companies. 

We specialise in the purchase and resale 

of unused toners from a range of businesses 

and industries throughout Europe. 

Our office, warehouse and distribution 

facilities are located in Hitchin, 

Hertfordshire, and we service a vast array 

of customers, from large international 

recycling companies to private individuals 

and small businesses. 

TR: What is your USP? 

LJ: We pride ourselves on our ability to 

consistently deliver excellence in customer 

service, in line with the company’s core 

As long as they are not used, genuine, OEM toners 

can retain a large part of their initial retail value 

FEATURED 

A R TIC L E 

values of honesty, reliability and expertise, 

all of which have contributed to the 

successful establishment of long-term 

business partnerships. 

We offer a secure and professional service 

with flexible, prompt payment methods 

and highly competitive pricing systems 

for genuine unused toners, making us an 

ideal partner to support your business 

when it comes to clearing surplus unused 

toner stock. 

From single items up to multiple pallets, 

our purchasing team have the expertise 

to quickly deliver itemised pricing for 

quotations large or small. 

TR: What is your experience 

in the recent months, vis-a-vie 

the COVID-19 pandemic? 

LJ: It’s a sad fact that as a result of the 

COVID-19 pandemic many companies 

will be forced to economise to survive. 

While these are difficult times for many, 

it can quite naturally be a busy time for 

companies that thrive on the things other 

people no longer need. However, when the 

wider business world is contracting, more 

and more unused toner cartridges can end 

up being bundled in with the usual stock 

of empty cartridges. 

TR: Is there a value add here? 

LJ: Yes, as long as they are not used, 

genuine, OEM toners can retain a large 

part of their initial retail value. Even if the 

packaging has been opened or damaged 

there is still a demand for them in the 

surplus market. This means that you 

could be spending time and money 

recycling otherwise valuable, saleable 

assets that instead should be realising their 

inherent value for you to invest back into 

your core business. 



TR: Where is the market demand 

at the moment? 

LJ: We are seeing demand for a range of 

consumables as companies emerge from 

lockdown and seek to make savings across 

the board – perhaps holding on to an older 

printer model for an extra year. This mix 

of new and older printer models and a 

budget that is constrained by a contracting 

economy can only be a positive for demand 

in the surplus toner market. 

TR: What is the secret to success in 

surplus toners? 

LJ: It’s what we do and have been doing for 

over 11 years. 

We have specialised in the purchase of 

unused surplus printer toner cartridges, 

offering a professional service with reliable 

pricing and prompt payment. These core 

values have allowed us to build up a huge 

network of suppliers throughout Europe. 

On the other side of the coin, resellers can 

buy genuine, OEM toners from TJS at a 

much-reduced cost. By partnering with 

industry recognised selling platforms such 

as Prima, Nemo & Office Friendly we have 

opened up our considerable stock holding 

to many more dealers and resellers. 

We continually invest in technology, 

improving efficiency when processing 

stock, as well as creating new ways for our 

customers to browse and purchase surplus 

toners from us. 

TR: Any advice for the future? 

LJ: Before the Coronavirus outbreak, the 

big international talking point was the 

environment. Thanks in large part to one 

young girl, key issues like climate change, 

global sustainability and plastic pollution 

filled the headlines. Naturally, COVID-19 

has eclipsed that conversation, and yes, 

carbon emissions are down due to the 

world being in lockdown, but the threats 

facing the environment have not gone away. 

They will emerge once again when the 

world starts waking up and we have a duty 

to face those problems and do whatever 

we can to improve our sustainability in 

business as in all walks of life. 

Whether you’re selling redundant 

unused stock or buying surplus, you 

can do your bit towards improving your 

company’s sustainability, helping to reduce 

unnecessary waste and making a bit more 

money to boot. 

It might not sound much when considering 

the global scale of the issues, but if one 

young girl can stand up and make a 

difference, then so can we all. ■ 

A NEW WORLD IS COMING! 

ARE YOU READY? 

Our Circular Economy solutions are better and smarter than new. 

Going green will save money to your customers and it will increase 

your profitability at the same time. 

WE WILL LEAVE A MARK ON YOUR BUSINESS, NOT ON THE PLANET. 

We are looking for partners 

T. (+34) 954 680 317 

gmtechnology@gmtechnology.es 

gmtechnology.es 



35

FEATURE 

Impact of the COVID 

crisis in printing 

Javier Martinez, Environmental Defender at Turbon Products talks 

to The Recycler about the potential environmental impacts of the 

COVID pandemic. 

▲ Javier Martinez, Environmental 

Defender, Turbon Products 

The COVID-19 crisis has hit nearly all 

markets, and still, most of sectors and 

players wonder when we can return to 

“new normality”. In the printing sector, 

many changes have happened recently. 

Nevertheless, we do not know if they are 

here for the long run, and a clear example 

is Teleworking. 

In this scenario, printing is subject to 

a change, and it might well mean less 

paper is used, and this can push further 

digitalisation. However, moving away 

from paper may have “collateral damages”, 

something we also have learned about 

with COVID-19. 

are not too difficult to understand, screen 

reading can be enough. Still, for more 

complex ones, it becomes more difficult 

and fatiguing. Other studies show that 

people that use paper to study and take 

hand notes, perform better than the ones 

only using screens. 

The lockdown precautions saw many 

people working from home, and the 

first question is: Will they all return to 

the offices? 

More and more it looks as if the answer 

is no, and it seems clear that in the most 

devastated areas some /many will not come 

back to the office, at least on a daily basis. 

The house prices outside the big cities 

are popping up as many workers want to 

move away from traffic jams and highly 

crowded areas. 

In this scenario, printing is subject to a change, 

and it might well mean less paper is used, and this 

can push further digitalisation 

For example, statistics show a tremendous 

increase in eye problem (myopia) under 

the pandemic. For short documents that 

And one may think yes but at the expense 

of the environment! 

While this may be true, we are in a 

money-oriented economy, so if the forest 

does not produce, they are abandoned, 

except maybe in our National Parks. 

I can share with you the case of Spanish 

Mediterranean forest and especially in 

Mallorca and the Balearic Islands the 

fires that devastated this region. Time 

ago, the forest was well kept due to a 

balance between charcoal producers 

and cattle owners. Charcoal producers 

cleaned the bushes and the underwood 

so that the cattle were able to enter, and 

the grass grew. 

As charcoal production was abandoned 

early in the last century, the charcoal jobs 

disappeared. This altered the balance and 

cattle owners were impacted as more and 

more as the herd could not enter the forest 

to feed. At the same time paths and access 

ways to the forest became denser and 

more impracticable. 



What happened then has had a 

devastating impact on, for example, the 

Balearic Islands landscape. The only 

way to “clean” the forest, according 

to cattlemen and landowners was by 

burning it. But fires were way more 

challenging to control than previously 

due to accumulation of biomass and 

lack of access to the fire front and attack 

points. 

While the fire is part of the 

Mediterranean environment, the forest 

will recover naturally. This is not the 

case when the fires are not natural and 

happen too often, as the “Seed bank” 

in the land disappears. Rain causes 

soil erosion, and with it, the forest will 

need centuries to re-build and the soil 

to recover. So can we be 100% sure that 

the disappearance of paper will have a 

positive impact on the environment? 

For me, the answer is no, though it will 

differ from one area to another. 

Unfortunately, and although forestry 

is vital for fixing CO2 emissions, 

producing oxygen, filtering water 

and produce landscape, these are 

“externalizations” meaning nobody 

pays for them. Experience says a positive 

environmental impact will depend on 

having another “Monetary destination” 

for wood. On places were this will not 

happen; the forest will be abandoned. 

The impact on paper and the move 

of printing away from the office to 

the home will be done through more 

expensive, less efficient and more 

polluting devices. 

That means that the WEEE generation 

will increase as the print previously 

done in the office using very efficient 

long-lasting devices will move to SOHO 

devices. In this situation, the printed 

page average price is more likely to rise. 

Because, as we all know well, there is 

different pricing between professional 

machines to home ones. So while we may 

well print fewer pages, we will generate 

more waste and at a higher cost. 

Collection of WEEE will also be more 

difficult and expensive as collecting 

from offices is more effective and 

precise. In the home environment, there 

is a higher concern that cartridges will 

not be placed in a proper waste flow 

and end up mixed with other waste (Of 

different types). 

Finally, very low oil prices are impacting 

the plastic recovery. As the price of 

recycled plastic has fallen, it is no longer 

profitable and is more at risk. 

There is, of course, one clear solution; 

reuse is better than recycle. ■ 

Unused and unwanted 

empty cartridges? 

OHANA 

TECHNOLOGY 

We can solve your problem. It is a 3 step process: 

1. 2. 3. 

Contact us to arrange 

delivery, either by phone 

or email. 

We sort your cartridges, extracting 

everything of value and arranging the 

correct recycling of everything else.* 

* Cartridges of value will be sold on your behalf 

through our global network. 

Settle up with you and send 

you all the waste transfer 

documents for your records. 

To find out more, call Terry Bridgeman on +44 1328 633013, or email him at info@ohanatl.com 



37

PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY 

ASIA CET Group, Drum Units, Parts 

ASIA Apex, Chips, Remanufacturing 

CET highlights 

latest products 

During recent weeks, the 

company has released a plethora 

of new products for use in various 

Canon, HP and Kyocera devices. 

CET Group Co., Ltd. has announced 

replacement OPC drums, drum 

cleaning blades, primary charge rollers 

and replacement chips for use in Canon 

IR Advance C5535/5540/5550/5560, 

C5535i/5540i/5550i/5560i, C5535i 

II/5540i II/5550i II/5560i II and 

C5535i III/5540i III/5550i III/5560i III 

devices. 

Also now available are replacement 

fuser assembly units for use in HP 

LaserJet Enterprise M604dn/604n, 

LaserJet Enterprise M605dn/605n/605x 

and LaserJet Enterprise M606dn/606x 

devices. For the same devices CET also 

carries an extensive line of consumables, 

like paper feed rollers and paper pick up 

rollers and much more. 

CET’s products range also 

saw an expansion with a new 

compatible drum unit for use in 

Kyocera Ecosys M2035dn/2535dn/ 

P2035d/2135d/2135dn, FS-1028MF- 

P/1128MFP/1035MFP/1135MFP and 

FS-1120D/1320D/1350DN/1370DN/ 

KM-2810/2820MFP devices. These 

new drum units come with page yields 

of 100,000 pages. ■ 

For more information 

on the above and more 

products from CET, 

just scan the QR code 

to visit CET’s website. 

Apex releases first-to-market 

replacement chips 

The company has added new replacement chips for use in various Sharp, 

Kyocera, NEC and HP devices. 

In May 2019, Sharp launched a new 

generation of digital multifunction 

machine, the MX-2651/4051/6051 in 

Japan. Quick and easy to operate, it 

packs convenient innovations that boost 

productivity. Adding optional equipment 

lets you include any extra functions you 

need. 

Apex said its “first-to-market” replacement 

chips offer “consistent performance” and 

are “easy to install in recycled cartridges”. 

This latest solution is for use in Sharp MX 

651/3051/3551/4051/5051/6051/3071/357 

1 and 4071 machines and comes with page 

yields of 40,000 for the black cartridge chip 

and 24,000 for the colour cartridge chips. 

Also announced were replacement chips 

for use in Sharp BP-20C25/10C20 series 

printers. 

These “first-to-market” replacement 

chips also offer “consistent performance” 

and are “easy to install in recycled 

cartridges” and are for use in Sharp BP 

10C20/20C20/20C25 devices. These 

replacement chips come with page yields 

of 18,000 for the black cartridge chip and 

10,000 for the colour cartridge chips. 

The company also announced its latest 

replacement chip solutions for Kyocera 

TK-7310/7311 series cartridges. This latest 

replacement chip solution is a “first-tomarket” 

solution, delivers “consistent 

performance” and are “easy to install in 

recycled cartridges”, according to Apex. 

The company said about the launch: 

“Apex helps you seize the market 

opportunities by providing you with the 

first-to-market replacement chips solution 

for Kyocera TK-7310/7311 series. You're 

welcome to contact us and ask for product 

samples!” 

These latest replacement chips are for use 

in Kyocera ECOSYS P4140dn devices and 

come with page yields of 15,000 pages. 

Also announced were its latest 

replacement chip solutions for use in NEC 

7700C/9160C/9560C series devices. 

Apex said this latest replacement chip 

solutions offer “consistent performance” 

and are “easy to install in recycled 

cartridges” and are for use in NEC 

MultiWriter 7700C, NEC MultiWriter 

7200, NEC MultiWriter 9160C, NEC 

MultiWriter 9560C, FujiXerox DocuPrint 

C2550d and FujiXerox DocuPrint C3550d 

devices. 

Furthermore, Apex introduced its latest 

“first-to-market” replacement chip solution 

for use with HP W1331A series cartridges. 

Apex’s newly introduced replacement 

chips are for use in HP Laser 408dn 

and HP Laser MFP 432fdn devices, and 

according to Apex come with “consistent 

performance” and are “easy to install in 

recycled cartridges”. The chip solution 

come with page yields of 5,000 or 15,000 

for the black cartridge chips and 30,000 for 

the drum unit chips. ■ 

For more information on 

the above or any other of 

Apex’s range, please scan 

the QR code here: 



EUROPE IR Italiana Riprografia, Cartridges, New Products 

IR Italiana Riprografia expands 

products range 

The Italian company has announced new Ricoh remanufactured drum units 

and new compatible toner cartridges for use in Kyocera-Mita devices. 

IR Italiana Riprografia is pleased 

to announce the addition of new 

remanufactured drum units for use in 

Ricoh Aficio 1022 (type 1027) devices to its 

products range. 

The company also added to its compatible 

cartridge range, were monochrome toner 

cartridges for use in Kyocera TASKalfa 

7002i devices, with a page yield of 20,000 

pages. 

IR Italiana Riprografia said, also available 

are compatible toner cartridges for use in 

Kyocera TASKalfa 356ci machines, which 

come with page yields of 18,000 pages 

for the black and 12,000 for the colour 

cartridges. 

IR Italiana Riprografia also added 

compatible toner cartridges for use in 

Kyocera TASKalfa 406ci devices, which 

come with page yields of 20,000 pages for 

the black cartridges and 15,000 pages for 

the colour cartridges. 

IR Italiana Riprografia is proud to 

say that its cartridges provide not only 

“OEM equivalent print quality,” but also 

“100 percent compatibility” with OEM 

products, as well as “significant savings” 

over the OEM. The remanufactured toner 

cartridges also offer MSDS in compliance 

with REACH. 

Additionally, the cartridges were produced 

“in a certificated environment” including 

the ISO 9001:2015 quality management 

system certificate; the ISO 14001:2015 

environmental management system 

certificate; and the BS OHSAS 18001:2007 

occupational health and safety management 

system certificate. The company added 

that its products are in compliance with the 

RoHS II directive (when required). ■ 


on the above-mentioned 

products or other ranges 

available from IR Italiana 

Riprografia, please scan 

here: 

GLOBAL ExtenData, T-MPS, MPS, Label Printer 

Expand your MPS services with T-MPS 

ExtenData, a supply chain visibility and tracking solution provider, announced the launch of its thermal label supplies 

auto-replenishment programme: “Thermal Managed Print Services” (T-MPS). 

Developed with thermal printing industry 

leaders, businesses using thermal printers for 

shipping and product labels can streamline 

operations. The right supplies at the right 

time, place, and price. 

For decades, office environments have 

enjoyed the simplicity of managed print 

services (MPS) for laser printers. The MPS 

provider takes care of the printer, toner, and 

paper. The headache of managing these 

devices and supplies has long been removed 

from IT's list of responsibilities, and supplies 

buyers have enjoyed the elimination of 

repetitive ordering tasks. Now, these same 

benefits can be applied to a business's fleet of 

direct thermal and thermal transfer printers 

with ExtenData's T-MPS. 

"Our customers face continuous margin 

pressure and increasing operational 

complexity. To keep pace with customer 

demand, the need to innovate and streamline 

operations is greater than ever. We know that 

our T-MPS solution will provide businesses 

efficiency and peace of mind," said Steve 

Sager, President and CEO of ExtenData. 

T-MPS creates operations efficiency by 

eliminating downtimes caused by label 

supply errors, reduces headaches and labour 

associated with the management and 

maintenance of thermal label printers and 

supplies, and lowers a business's expenses. 

With predictive modelling, quarterly usage 

reporting, and analysis ExtenData's T-MPS 

team tracks user’s supplies so they do not 

have to. 

"At ExtenData we pride ourselves on 

the service we provide our customers. 

Introducing this new solution is exciting 

because we know our customers will love 

it. Who doesn't love a solution that makes 

their life easier? These types of small 

improvements make all the difference 

in our lives and businesses," remarked 

Georgia Brown, Director of Marketing 

for ExtenData. ■ 



39


ASIA Ninestar, Firmware Upgrades, Solution, Innovation 

Ninestar debuts solution to manage 

firmware upgrades 

OEM firmware upgrades are a recurring issue in the aftermarket. Ninestar said its data shows the number of unreasonable 

firmware upgrades is climbing. 

According to Ninestar the impact affects 

the whole supply chain, commenting 

“When a firmware upgrade blocks 

aftermarket cartridges, companies up and 

down the supply chain must scramble to 

replace inventories and deal with angry 

customers. The upgrade of affected 

cartridges can be complicated, expensive 

and time-consuming.” 

The Ninestar solution started by 

bringing together their R&D teams, 

Product and Legal Department to 

create the “Upgrade without Unpacking 

Solution”, its new solution to manage 

firmware upgrades.” As the name 

suggests, the solution updates cartridges 

affected by firmware upgrades without 

opening their packaging. 

Ninestar said that its “patented design”, 

“first-to-market” solution comes with 

“simple and easy operation” and “save 

time and labour costs”. According to 

Ninestar, the solution’s “cloud sync data 

enables you to upgrade affected products 

at anytime and anywhere”. 

For detailed information on this latest 

innovation, please contact Ninestar 

through info@ggimage.com. 

Ninestar also introduced a G&Gbranded 

patented solution for use 

in Kyocera ECOSYS P3260dn series 

printers. 

The latest G&G-branded patented 

replacement cartridges are replacing the 

Kyocera TK-3200 cartridge and are for use 

in Kyocera ECOSYS P3260dn/M3860idn 

and M3860idnf devices. The cartridges 

boast a page yield of 40,000 pages. 

Ninestar said that these cartridges 

have a “unique patented structure 

design” which “ensures OEM-like toner 

supply, lower failure rate and the best 

customer experience.” Ninestar added 

that its cartridges offer “outstanding and 

consistent printing performance.” 

Also added to the product portfolio 

were Ninestar’s “first-to-market” solution 

replacing HP W1331A series cartridges. 

G&G’s replacement toner cartridges for 

use in HP Laser 408dn / MFP 432fdn 

series printers are available now. G&G 

said that the cartridges are “self-developed 

chip enabled” and offer “reliable print 

quality”. 

These latest cartridge solutions come 

with page yields of 5,000 and 15,000 for 

the black cartridge and 30,000 for the 

drum unit. ■ 

For the abovementioned 

cartridges or 

any other of Ninestar’s 

product range, please 

scan the QR code. 


DOES YOUR 

PRINTER NEED 

ITS OWN PPE? 


If you are using or 

supplying PPE for your 

employees or customers, 

don’t forget the laser 

printers. 

Have you ever noticed a plastic odour from your laser printer? 

This may be printer emitted particles (PEPs) which may be harmful. 

• TONER CATCHER can minimise the potentially harmful emitted particles 

(PEPs) from laser printers. 

• TONER CATCHER is PPE for your printer and you can profitably add 

it to your range of PPE products. 

• TONER CATCHER can be overprinted with instructions and your brand. 

To get your 

FREE 

sample and further 

information email 

candu@candugbr.com 



41


NORTH AMERICA Katun, Cartridges, Remanufacturing, New Products 

Katun North America introduces 

printer and copier toners 

Katun Corporation announced the introduction of several high-quality 

Katun Performance toner cartridges in North America. 

The company added new Katun 

Performance colour toner cartridges for 

use in Canon imageRUNNER Advance 

C256i/C356i-series devices which it said 

provide dealers with OEM-equivalent 

colour reproduction and image quality 

and cost-per-copy savings. 

Katun added: “This product has 

been tested and approved in Katun’s 

Research and Development laboratory 

in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to ensure it 

meets Katun’s high standards.” 

Kyocera dealers will be excited to learn 

that Katun has introduced monochrome 

toner cartridges for use in Kyocera 

Taskalfa 3212i/4012i-series machines. 

Also introduced were Katun 

Performance toner cartridges for use 

in Brother HL-L2350 and HL-L2370 

printers. These remanufactured toners 

are eco-friendly and provide excellent, 

reliable performance and significant cost 

savings, Katun said. 

Katun products may be ordered by 

email, phone or via the Katun Online 

Catalogue – the one-stop Internet 

resource that allows registered customers 

to locate and order thousands of Katun 

products while viewing real-time 

information about their orders and 

accounts. ■ 

To find out which products are now 

available in your market, customers can 

access the Katun Online 

Catalogue through 

scanning the QR code 

here: 

EUROPE CTS Toner Supplies, Cartridges, Copier, New Products 

CTS adds to its new PPE and cartridge ranges 

To enhance its offering of PPE, CTS Toner Supplies has added new items to the range and added 

new compatible cartridges. 

The latest additions to CTS’ PPE range 

are face masks, face shields, gloves, eye 

protection and much more. The face mask 

range saw additions of Type IIR masks 

(Gold Listed Factory and NHS Approved) 

and KN95/FFP2 face masks which are 

available in packs of 5,10 and 25. 

Also added were face shields and nitrile 

powder free gloves (blue) which are available 

in all sizes and come in packs of 200. 

As part of the new range, CTS Toner 

Supplies is also now offering E100 safety 

glasses and E200 safety glasses, PE 20 

micron polyethylene aprons and noncontact 

infrared thermometers. 

CTS Toner Supplies have also recently 

added the compatible HP CF460X and 

CF470X series cartridges to their catalogue. 

These are a new IP-protected compatible 

colour toner cartridges which replace the 

CF450A series. 

The replacement CF460X cartridge is for 

use in HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M652n, 

M652dn, M653dn, M653dn and M653x 

machines and the compatible CF470X 

cartridge is for use in HP Color LaserJet 

Enterprise MFP M681dh, M681f, M681z 

and M682z devices. 

CTS said about this launch: “They 

provide a high resolution printing 

performance of vivid colours using chemical 

toner powder and match the OEM yield. 

They fit the range of the HP Color LaserJet 

Enterprise printers which are perfect for the 

home and office environments with high 

speed performance.” 

The company also introduced new 

replacement cartridges for use in various 

Kyocera TASKalfa devices. 

CTS Toner Supplies said, its replacement 

toner cartridges are for use in Kyocera 

TASKalfa 300i, Kyocera TASKalfa 

3212i, Kyocera TASKalfa 4012i, Kyocera 

TASKalfa 306ci and Kyocera TASKalfa 

406ci devices. ■ 

For further information 

on the above or other 

products available from 

CTS Toner Supplies, 

please scan the QR code. 



GLOBAL Clover Imaging Group, Cartridges, Remanufacturing 

EUROPE Armor, OWA, Cartridges, 

Remanufacturing 

CIG releases latest solutions 

Clover Imaging Group (CIG) has announced its newest solutions, which is a 

remanufactured alternative for the HP 37Y cartridge, its latest IP-safe solution 

for use in HP devices and a remanufactured drum unit for use in various 

Brother machines. 

One of the latest additions to CIG’s product 

portfolio is for use in HP LaserJet Enterprise 

Flow MFP M 631 h, LaserJet Enterprise Flow 

MFP M 632 z, LaserJet Enterprise M 608 

dn, LaserJet Enterprise M 608 n, LaserJet 

Enterprise M 608 x, LaserJet Enterprise M 

609 dn, LaserJet Enterprise M 609 x, LaserJet 

Enterprise MFP 632 fht, LaserJet Enterprise 

MFP M 631 dn, LaserJet Enterprise MFP M 

631 z, LaserJet Enterprise MFP M 632 h and 

LaserJet Enterprise MFP M 633 fh devices. 

CIG calls it its “Zero risk” remanufactured 

alternative and said: “Apart from the 37A 

and 37X released earlier, we are happy 

to announce the release of the extra high 

yield version - Clover’s remanufactured 

replacement of the 37Y - for use in HP LJ 

Enterprise M608, M609 and MFP 631, 632, 

633 printer series, aimed at SMB market.” 

“This product solution offers a 

performance that rivals the OEM but with 

significant cost per page savings. The OEM 

cartridge utilises JetIntelligence technology, 

and Clover’s solution for this complex system 

respectfully and responsibly reuses the 

original components. We guarantee complete 

peace of mind in complying with all IP and 

health and safety regulations, and all of that 

at only a fraction of the OEM cost,” CIG 

added. 

The high yield remanufactured cartridge 

comes with page yields of 41,000 pages at 5% 

coverage. 

CIG also announced a dedicated Canon 

046H IP-safe remanufactured cartridge that 

it says comes with a performance that rivals 

the OEM but with a significant cost saving. 

These latest remanufactured cartridges 

are for use in Canon i-Sensys LBP 653 Cdw, 

i-Sensys MF 732 Cdw, i-Sensys MF 735 Cx, 

i-Sensys LBP 654 Cx and i-Sensys MF 734 

Cdw devices. The black cartridges come with 

page yields of 6,300 and the colour cartridges 

boast page yields of 5,000 pages. 

Clover said that this application is aimed at 

small businesses, or home users designed to 

support user’s daily activities. 

“In Clover, each product that we launch, 

regardless of the OEM, is given the same 

dedication in terms of R&D and QA testing. 

That is why our success rate is proven by 

product performance, and our technical 

support is best in class,” Clover Imaging 

Group said. 

The company’s latest introduction is 

remanufactured drum units are for use in 

Brother DCP-L 2510 D, DCP-L 2530 DW, 

HL-L 2310 D, HL-L 2350 DW, HL-L 2370 

DN, HL-L 2375 DW, MFC-L 2710 DN, 

MFC-L 2710 DW, MFC-L 2730 DW and 

MFC-L 2750 DW devices. The cartridges 

boast page yields of 12,000 at 5% coverage. 

Clover Imaging Group said about the 

launch: “Aimed at SOHO market, we can 

offer the complete solution together with 

the standard and high yield capacity toner 

cartridges. 

“Take advantage of the unbeatable quality 

of Clover products! Why take the risk of 

using cheap alternatives which may cause 

printer damage and expensive downtime? 

You can have complete peace of mind that 

our products are free from any quality, legal 

or environmental concerns and perform on 

par with the OEM.” ■ 

To learn more about these 

and other products from 

Clover Imaging Group, 

pelase scan the QR code. 

ARMOR 

expands its 

laser range 

The French remanufacturer 

has extended its laser offer 

to companies to include 

remanufactured Brother TN247 

laser cartridges. 

The OWA range has been expanded 

with a new product, remanufactured 

Brother TN247 cartridges. The 

cartridges are for use in Brother 

HL-L3210, HL-L3230, HL-L3270, 

HLL3280,DCP-L3510, DCP-L3550, 

MFC-L3710, MFC-L3730, 

MFC-L3740, MFC-L3750 and 

MFC-L3770 devices. 

The company has a catalogue of over 

1,200 products and manufactures 4,800 

laser cartridges daily in total across all 

brands and models. 

Since 2019, 300,000 printers on the 

Western European market have had 

the capacity to use TN247 cartridges. 

One of these printers, Brother MFC- 

L3750CDW, was voted best in its class in 

the BLI Buyers Lab category, confirming 

the range's vitality. 

“This best-selling cartridge is a musthave. 

It's important to meet demand by 

bringing the re-manufactured version to 

the market. The cartridge replaces the 

famous TN245 and has experienced real 

success right from launch,” explained 

Pascal Lachat, Category Manager. ■ 


on Armor’s cartridge 

range or any other OWA 

products, please scan the 

QR code. 



43

MARKETPLACE 

TONER MANUFACTURER 

COLLECTOR 

COLLECTOR 

CBC (Europe) GmbH 

toner@cbc-europe.com 

Tel: +49 211 530670 

www.cbc-europe.com 

FBO Organisation, S.L. 

fbo@fbo-org.com 

Tel: +34 936724863 

www.fbo-org.com 

LVL 

hb.sales@lvlcartridge.com 

Tel: +33 251 70 14 58 

www.lvl.fr 

REMANUFACTURER 

RESELLER 


wta Carsten Weser GmbH 

info@wta-suhl.de 

Tel: +49 3681 4529710 

www.wta-suhl.de 

Copyclic 

info@copyclic.com 

Tel: +33 01 60 78 78 78 

www.copyclic.com 

Integral GmbH 

info@integral-international.de 

TEL: + 49 (0) 28 33 60 60 

www.integral-international.de 

MARKET INTELLIGENCE 

CARTRIDGE CLEANING SYSTEMS 

SUPPLIER 

LightWords Imaging 

admin@lightwords.co.uk 

Tel: +44 1270 878850 

www.lightwordsimaging.com 

Futor Cleaning System AG 

info@futorag.ch 

+41 716800549 

www.futorag.com 

TOKO Srl 

toko@toko.ro 

Tel: +40212327270 

www.toko.ro 

SUPPLIER 

BROKER AND RECYCLER 


Freckles Ltd 

info@freckles.bg 

Tel: +359 2 955 5560 

www.freckles.bg 

The Greener Side 

info@greener-side.co.uk 

Tel: +44 1427 700 700 

www.greener-side.co.uk 

Primedia Products 

tmiller@primediamicr.com 

Tel: +1 304-277-2050 

www.primediamicr.com 


Contact us to advertise here: t.01993 899800 e. info@therecycler.com 

Airbags for Toner Cartridges 

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repacking toner cartridges 

• Universal and reusable 

• Fast, free delivery throughout the EU 

• European stocks at affordable prices 

• Terms available 

Visit our new webstore now: 

www.tonerpak.com 

ETIRA membership benefits include: 

Meeting new clients and partners at our 

network meetings! 

A strong fight against clever chips, unfair 

patents, waste transport rules etc.! 

PR-work to tell the world about remanufactured 

cartridges and why they are good for both 

consumers and the environment! 

Promotion of top-quality remanufacturing 

(standardisation)! 

Join our business Code of Conduct, and sell 

more cartridges thanks to our logo! 

Meeting 60 top remanufacturers already 

members of ETIRA... 

ETIRA brings the remanufacturing Industry 

together. Be part of the family! 

Haydnlaan 13, 4837 CS Breda, 

The Netherlands Tel: + 31 6 414 614 63 

info@etira.org 

www.etira.org 

ETIRA: WORKING FOR ALL REMANUFACTURERS AND PARTNERS 



45

NEXT ISSUE 

October 2020 

Issue 335 

2020 State 

of the industry 

ISSN 2045 - 2047 (PRINT) SEPTEMBER 2020 EDITION 334 PUBLISHED 27 AUGUST 2020 

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