Remanufacturer of printing consumables sets up scoring system in line with EU Green Deal ambitions

Armor Print Solutions steps forward with its remanufactured printer cartridges brand “OWA” in the efforts to empower consumers. OWA’s introduced scoring system informs them about their environmental impact while purchasing printing consumables.

Pending an official and institutional scoring system for print cartridges, Armor Print Solutions has taken the lead by establishing a score inspired by the food industry. Armor introduced the OWA Score: An intuitive visual scale to measure the impact of the circular economy and an approach that is in line with European ambitions, notably through the "Green Deal". The Green Deal sets goals to changing how we produce and consume. The New Circular Economy Action Plan shows the way to a climate-neutral, competitive economy of empowered consumers

OWA Score
The OWA score is a logo that informs the consumer of the environmental impact of the circular economy of printing consumables. It is a 5-level scale combining letters and colours, placed on packaging. It helps consumers in their purchase and gives them relevant information in order to choose cartridges according to their level of circularity.
Figure 1: OWA score from armor-owa.com

The OWA-score is calculated. Products earn points when they meet the following criteria:
• Can the cartridge be reused?
• When the cartridge is reconditioned, how many parts are replaced?
• Is the cartridge collected by the manufacturer after use?
• Does the manufacturer offer a cartridge recycling programme?
• Is the packaging plastic-free?
• Does the printer cartridge have an eco-label?

Consumers can use the score to choose between different printer cartridges of the same type. Or quickly identify the product that will have the least impact on the environment. Or compare the ecological impact of the same product from different brands.

“Since the beginning of the year, we have been making lots of progress in our efforts to further reduce environmental impact by redesigning all our packaging. Using the OWA SCORE means giving customers all of this information clearly so that they can make informed purchasing decisions.” Explains Gerwald van der Gijp, VP & Managing Director of Armor Print Solutions.

About ARMOR Print Solutions
ARMOR Print Solutions, is a European market leader in the office printing consumables market. Five years ago, Armor Print Solutions launched the “OWA” brand. The OWA product brand contains “remanufactured printer cartridges combined with an innovative used cartridge recovery process”, using circular economy principles in a “new approach, with positive repercussions”.