The results come from a survey conducted by market research firm InfoTrends. Consumers were asked two questions:
1. Do you regard OEMs or third-party toner/supplies brands as better on the ‘green’ issue?
2. When considering the ‘green’ issue, what is your opinion about OEM versus third-party toner?
The survey shows that a majority of the consumers polled believed that OEM cartridges were better for the environment. 47.8 percent of those asked thought that OEMs were better “on the ’green’ issues”, compared to the 14 percent that believed that third party supplies were best and 38.2 percent saying that they didn’t think there was any difference between them.
Of those that took part, 48 percent also believed that OEM brands were better for the environment, with 20.1 percent answering that third party brands excelled and 31.9 percent saying that there was no difference.
The results seem to indicate that third party manufacturers are not effectively communicating the environmental benefits of using remanufactured ink and toner cartridges to consumers, or at least not compared with the OEMs.
However, it will provide some comfort to manufacturers that around a third of the consumers surveyed on both questions did not think there was a difference between OEMs and remanufacturers’ impact on the environment. This may mean that remanufacturers can use lower prices to sway consumers.
InfoTrends have characterised these results as, “very surprising.”