This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at La Generalitat de Catalunya apuesta por reutilizar los cartuchos de tinta

The Catalan Government launches an agreed framework on the use and recycling of toner of ink in the autonomous administration

The Generalitat de Catalunya bet by reuse ink cartridges

Esther Güell26/05/2008

May 26, 2008

The culture of recycling is increasingly in vogue in our society. However, there are sectors in which it is much more effective to reuse than not recycling, a process involving the destruction and handling of pollutants and which is not beneficial in environmental terms. This is the case of printer ink. And the Generalitat of Catalonia leads a project to bid to boost the use of toner reused within the Administration itself. The goal: achieve the effect dominated among the rest of Catalan companies.

Currently, the use of non-original toner in Spain is 13 per cent of the total, well below the European figures, about 75 per cent. To change this trend, the Catalan Government has started procedures to establish agreement framework with a high level of demand, currently already at tendering stage, and that among other standards, ask the DIN certificate to the providers of the autonomous administration. It is of the 'Framework agreement provision and collection of toners and ink cartridges'.

The deadline for submitting proposals is June 9, 2008 and will have validity of one year, which may be extended at most another year. With regard to the environmental criteria regarding accreditation, the undertakings concerned must submit documentation to the registration Emas, ISO 14001 or the Declaration of environmental management, along with a commitment in writing to the obligation to deliver the empty tónners and remanufactured ink cartridges. Also, bidding companies manufacturers of remanufactured due, in addition to the two previous documents, documentation ISO 9001: 2000 or equivalent (or statement of quality controls) and a commitment in writing to assume guarantees of functioning of the machinery.

Photo: lker yavuz

Recycle: fashion or obligation?

Recycling has become, more than a fashion, a necessity, and more in the field of printing, where the vast majority of cartridges can be remanufactured, with the consequent reduction of oil consumption needed to produce them: currently requires more than 3.4 liters of oil. Also, each year is dipositan in the Spanish dumps around 1,000 tons of empty cartridges for ink and tónner: in only 12 months the recycling of print cartridges could save 4.3 tons of gallons of oil in a country of 44 million inhabitants (data)(: Consuprint).

First of all this, the Generalitat de Catalunya meets some government agreements acquired in 2005 in which undertook to introduce certain conditions and environmental standards on what to purchase for Administration. This framework agreement affects compulsorily to all departments of the Government Catalan, although they can sign the agreement all those public companies, local governments and public bodies who are interested.

The agreement framework are included for a whole series of environmental clauses and valuation that will affect both new and recycled toner and ink cartridges. In this regard, it should be noted that the Government aims to buy both types.

In search of the highest quality

The objective of the agreement is to achieve the highest quality in products and suppliers of the Catalan Administration, seek compliance with international standards of reference. For this reason, bidding companies must comply with standards such as the 'Nordic Swan', the MF 335 or 'Blue Angel RAL - 55 Zul' mark, Austrian eco-label UZ 11, the Austrian eco-label and standards DIN 338701 and DIN 33871-1, as well as various quality certificatesAccording to the technical specification to which they belong. Another requirement in some cases will also be presenting samples of the product.