Tag: Printers

• Reading the small print: European Commission prepares the ground for more sustainable printers

  Ambitious laws begin with ambitious goals. To lessen the negative environmental impacts of printers and cartridges, laws must be designed with sustainability as a priority. In its new preparatory study on ecodesign possibilities for printers and cartridges, the European Commission has created a solid starting point for what could become impactful ecodesign requirements – but improvements are needed.

• After much ink spilt, the EU is about to crack down on made-to-break printers

  Small electrical devices are the focus of this year’s International E-Waste Day, taking place today, on 14 October. It is a perfect day to celebrate that the EU will soon develop a regulation for printers – a product at the origin of countless headaches. The lack of rules results in thousands of tonnes of printers and cartridges turning into waste too early every year.

• When Empty Promises Won’t Do – Why regulation is needed to end built-in obsolescence of printers

  Printers have grown to become an archetype of today’s throwaway culture, in spite of over a decade of EU-endorsed industry commitments to make them more sustainable. If the European Commission is to stand by its promise to curb the built-in obsolescence of our everyday tech, it must fall out of love with manufacturers’ promises.