AcquistiVerdi.it warns businesses and local authorities in Italy about the danger of clones.
The green consultants reported on their website how “public administrations […] are turning” towards using remanufactured cartridges when printing, but “often buy products without knowing [they are] not environmentally friendly, dangerous for the environment and human health and, unfortunately, to all intents and purposes outlawed”, in this case referring to the spread of clones.
The company noted that remanufactured consumables are “brand[s] [that are] different from that of the machine” but “at least the same quality” as the original, but increasingly products that are “offered as compatible or remanufactured but are to all intents and purposes […] clones”, which it defines as newly-built cartridges “marketed as the ‘original’ (though false) and even sold with the name of the original manufacturer […] in effect the clones […] are counterfeit products and very often not subject to any rule of production, import and safety of workers and users”.
AcquistiVerdi added in turn that clones are products that “violat[e] patents”, are “imported without any respect for the relevant EU directives and national health and safety”, and “cannot be regenerated and therefore must be disposed of as hazardous waste”.
It also gave local authorities and businesses a set of guidelines on how to recognise and distinguish a clone from a compatible or remanufactured cartridge, including: “fancy packaging […] without any references […] to the manufacturer”; a “much lower cost (over 80 percent) than that of the original”; the “excessive availability of the product in the […] first 12 to 15 months after a new printer [is launched], because […] remanufactured and compatible cartridges are not yet available”; and the “aspect” of the cartridge, in that “if sold as a remanufactured cartridge [it] does not show any signs of use and wear”.
The site praised remanufactured cartridges by noting that they do not “infringe the patents of the original manufacturer”, have “performance guarantees […] equivalent to the original”, and cost from “40 to 60 percent less than the original”. Remanufactured cartridges, it went on to state, can be recognised due to the “brand of the producer [being] readily identifiable”, and the “the presence of the main certifications” including ISO, STMC and DIN certification, which “assure us that it is a good product […] with low environmental impact”.