Remanufacturing is the process of disassembly, recovery, and replacement of worn components to bring used products back to their original condition.
MSE compatible cartridges are manufactured from new and recovered materials. Based on an initial study conducted in July 2008, MSE reuses approximately 80 to 90 percent original cartridge components in their products. A finished MSE cartridge contains approximately 50 to 60 percent of recycled content by weight. (Recycled content may vary based on yield, condition of cartridge components, and cartridge type.)
Recycling
MSE’s raw manufacturing materials consist primarily of e-waste that is scientifically remanufactured into a high-quality consumer product. This remanufacturing process prevents approximately 4 million pounds of plastic, metal, and other materials from entering our landfills each year. The process includes:
- Incoming cartridges - MSE collects spent OEM cartridges from multiple sources to start the manufacturing process. Over 90 percent of the previously used cartridges can be reused. The unusable cartridges are either sold to Tier 2 cartridge remanufacturing companies or shipped to e-waste recyclers in the USA.
- Unusable cartridge components - Not all components of the spent OEM cartridge can be reused and still promise a quality product. Therefore, MSE replaces unusable components with new parts to ensure optimal quality and reliability. The majority of the unusable parts are made of materials such as steel, aluminum, and plastic. MSE sees that each of these components is sorted and recycled.
- Miscellaneous Packaging Waste - MSE receives waste material such as boxes, cardboard, foam, shrink wrap, and loose paper, all of which they recycle.
- Test Paper - To test print quality and to prevent defects, MSE prints approximately 10 to 30 test pages from each remanufactured cartridge. All of the paper used for testing, along with all general office paper, is locally recycled.
WasteWise Program
In January 2009, MSE joined the WasteWise Program, a voluntary program sponsored by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The WasteWise program aims to reduce municipal solid waste and select industrial wastes. Municipal solid waste includes everyday paper items such as newspapers, office papers, books, magazines, cardboard boxes, mail, and telephone directories. The program educates and assists corporations in adopting best practices for office paper and other types of waste management. As a member of WasteWise, MSE must track and report their recycling activity to the EPA.
ISO 14001 Certification
MSE adheres to ISO 14001 environmental management standards, which exist to help organizations minimize how their operations negatively affect the environment. ISO 14001 is the international specification for an environmental management system (EMS). It specifies requirements for establishing an environmental policy, determining environmental aspects and impacts of products/services, planning environmental objectives and measurable targets, implementation and operation of these programs, checks and corrective action for the results, and management review.