Environmental issues

Governmental pressure is on to make all manufacturers responsible for the appropriate disposal of obsolete products – everything from cars to TVs – but the campaign is not running as smoothly as many people had hoped.

The impact of WEEE on printer manufacturers will be significant. Given the complexity of the devices, the variety of materials used, and some of the chemicals contained in devices and in residue from cartridges, printers present a major environmental and logistical challenge in recycling, as well as a financial problem.

The directive has already been delayed. It was originally due to come into force on 13 August this year, but has been put back until January 2006 at the earliest. This is good news for the 100,000 obligated UK companies because the exact requirements and impacts of the legislation still remain unclear.

Many issues are still proving difficult to resolve. These include the role of the National Clearing House, the implications of individual producer responsibility, and the calculation of obligations and targets across such a diverse range of manufacturing industries.

Alongside this, there is grave concern among many businesses about the financial impact of the electrical equipment recycling legislation and how it will affect them and their customers.

Despite a lack of enthusiasm about WEEE in some quarters, all printer vendors seem well aware of their obligations and most are keen to broadcast the measures they are taking to ensure compliance.

Dell, HP and Epson have worked hard to establish recycling schemes to manage end-of-life hardware, while Canon has already recycled about 521 tonnes of WEEE, equating to about 4,000 network printers.

Brother communications director Mike Dinsdale has a pragmatic response to the WEEE directive: ‘A large part of Brother’s strategy has been simply to face up to our responsibilities,’ he says. ‘The “polluter pays” concept is nothing new, and we are more than ready to play our part in finding a better way to deal with electrical waste in the UK.’