Soy inks have been used in the printing industry for quite some time but haven’t made it into the world of ink cartridges - until now. U.S. company Print Recovery Concepts has announced that it will start selling ink cartridges for printers that contain soy based ink instead of the standard petroleum based ink. Because soybeans are a natural product, the new cartridges will be healthier for the environment. And, according to PRC Vice President Rick Greenlaw, the soy based cartridges will be comparable in quality and cost to more traditional brands.
While many think switching to soy ink solved all of the environmental hazards of reusing and recycling printer cartridges, it has been proven that all cartridges require petroleum to be produced. In the U.S. alone, approximately 100 million cartridges are used each year. Each cartridge takes approximately a liter of petroleum to manufacture. Experts predict that the new cartridges, although they still use petroleum, will save nearly 1 million barrels. While that may seem like a small amount to oil companies that routinely tink in hundreds of billions, every little bit helps.
According to a report at tonernews.com, The NPD Group is in favor of the new product. Kase Niles, an analyst at NPD Group, prefers the soy based cartridges due to the ease of de-inking them during the recycling process. “Because soy-based toner offers a cleaner and sustainable source of toner, PRC’s efforts will be mirrored by OEM manufacturers and remanufacturers throughout the entire toner industry,” Niles says.
To lean more, go to: printrecovery.com
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