Cartridge World Estimates Its U.S. Customers Help Reduce Carbon Emissions by 1 million Pounds in 2007

Posted on August 31, 2007 by Bill Dube

Refilling and Remanufacturing Printer Cartridges Locally Reduces Global Transportation Requirements

EMERYVILLE, CA. – Cartridge World, the World’s largest printer cartridge refiller and remanufacturer, has announced that its customers will help avoid 1 million pounds of carbon emissions annually by reusing its printer cartridges instead of buying new.  This is the equivalent of taking almost 100 passenger cars off the road for one year and recycling 150 tons of waste instead of depositing it in a landfill.

The study, performed by Brown & Wilmanns Environmental, LLC, estimates the transport-related carbon dioxide emissions of transporting original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cartridges from overseas production facilities to U.S. retailers versus refilling or remanufacturing those cartridges locally at a Cartridge World store.

“With the idea of carbon footprinting becoming a household term, we believe consumers and businesses want to know the impact products have on the environment to get from factory to retail,” said Cartridge World CEO, Burt Yarkin.  “Not only do we extend the life of a useful printer cartridge, we do so with more local content than the OEM manufacturers which is more environmentally friendly.”

The study compared the carbon dioxide associated with the transport of three different ink and toner cartridges from their countries of origin to three US cities based upon product mass, distance shipped, and mode of transportation.  This was compared to the impacts associated with Cartridge World’s transport of ink and toner for similar products to the same three cities.  The study did not estimate the emissions for any manufacturing process.

The results were remarkable.  The study showed the transport of Cartridge World inks and toner can emit less than half the carbon dioxide than that of OEM cartridges.  And across the three city average, with typical refill percentages of one-color inkjet, three-color inkjet and laser cartridges, the average carbon dioxide transportation footprint of Cartridge World ink and toner operations is 40% lower than what might be expected from OEM cartridges.  Also notable is that the carbon dioxide reduction of transportation-related carbon dioxide is over 70% for toners. 

The study used conversion factors provided by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions produced via various shipping weights and distances. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is one of the most widely used accounting tools used to understand, quantify and manage greenhouse gas emissions. The GHG Protocol Initiative was developed through a partnership between the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

In addition to reducing product transportation emissions, recycling and reusing ink and toner cartridges keeps cartridges out of landfills and reduces the needs for manufacturing. All of these steps constitute a reduced environmental footprint, which businesses and consumers can easily make a part of their daily lives by frequenting locally owned and operated businesses such as Cartridge World. 

About Cartridge World

Emeryville, CA-based Cartridge World is the world’s fastest growing ink refilling retailer in the $80 billion printer cartridge industry. The company refills empty ink cartridges and remanufactures empty toner cartridges for inkjet printers, laser printers, fax machines, and photocopiers with top quality, brand-specific ink and toners; it offers consumers and businesses a more affordable option to buying new, provides a 100% satisfaction money-back guarantee and helps the environment by keeping cartridges out of landfills. Voted #1 in the category of toner replacement services by Entrepreneur Magazine Franchisee 500, Cartridge World has more than 1,500 franchised retail locations in 45 countries.  Cartridge World North America was founded in 2003. There are currently more than 600 locations open in the United States, with 800 locations expected by the end of 2007.