Tianwei Group: Innovative research on recycled consumables to contribute to green printing

Company profile
 
Tianwei Group was founded in Hong Kong in 1981. In 1988, Tianwei Group invested the first domestic printing consumables factory in Zhuhai. In 2000, the company built the first domestic consumables technology park in Nanping Science and Technology Park in Zhuhai.
 
After 37 years of development, Tianwei Group has successfully realized the transition from wholesale trade to self-built brands, from simple processing to independent innovation, from single-product production to vertical integration of the industrial chain, gradually mastering more than 2,700 independent innovation patents, with 9 categories of over 10,000 products, covering 3D printers, digital printing, laser toner cartridges, copier cartridges, ink cartridges, ribbons, toner, ink, and chips, exporting to more than 150 countries and regions.
 
Challenges
 
China is a big country in the use and processing of printing consumables with a large consumption base and a low recycling rate. As a result, a large number of waste products have been produced. It is estimated that more than 160,000 cubic meters and nearly 1 million tons of solid waste will be produced each year. Moreover, most of the used ink cartridges and toner cartridges contain 10% to 40% of the toner, and one drop of residual ink can contaminate 60 cubic meters of water, causing harm to the environment.
 
As the earliest manufacturer of printing consumables in China, the recycled consumables of Tianwei consumables started in processing trade production. In the face of this promising market, how to achieve core technology breakthroughs and master the core competitiveness is the key to building Tianwei's global brand of recycled printing consumables.
 
Solutions
 
Relying on science and technology and guided by standards, Tianwei consumables is committed to the R&D, production and promotion of environmentally friendly consumable products. As early as 1996, Tianwei established the first domestic manufacturing plant for regenerative laser toner cartridges.
 
Recycling. Tianwei is the first to try the recycling process of used toner cartridges in the industry. At present, it has been equipped with recycling stations for ink cartridges or toner cartridges in more than 3,000 sales outlets in China and in 120 countries.
 
Technological innovation. After the ink cartridge or toner cartridge is recycled, it is manufactured through a high-tech process such as emptying, cleaning, cleaning, filling, calibration, and inspection of the machine package to produce a product suitable for the corresponding printer model. Tianwei attaches great importance to improving in the utilization rate of key components. For example, the main components of the toner cartridges, charging roller and magnetic roller, are reproduced in Tianwei through scientific processes.
 
Green production. The printing consumables recycling industry based on the concept of environmental protection requires strict control and management of the production process to ensure that the remanufacturing process does not cause secondary pollution to the environment. And the finished product also has the same or better quality than the new product. Tianwei continuously explores international advanced environmental management requirements and has first passed the ISO 9000 Quality Management System Certification and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Certification in China. Tianwei is the first company to pass QC080000 international product safety certification in the global consumables industry.
 
Participating in the drafting and formulation of standards to regulate the development of the industry. Over the years, Tianwei consumables have been actively pursuing a standardized strategy to improve the overall quality of consumable products, standardize and lead the industry.
 
In June 2008, Zhuhai Printing Consumables Alliance Standard Printer Consumables Recycling Product Production Process Control Requirements, Recycling Toner Cartridges and Recycling Inkjet Cartridges, which was drafted by Tianwei and led by Zhuhai Consumables Industry Association ,officially came into effect, filling the gap in China's Environmental Control Standards and Laws and Regulations for the Production Process of Recycling Products. In 2009, the standard rose to the local standard of Guangdong Province. The National Information Technology Standardization Technical Committee has agreed to raise the standard to a national standard.
 
To promote the development of circular economy and remanufacturing in the industry, Tianwei spontaneously cooperated with the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, and took the lead in the industry to conduct a special environmental performance assessment of recycled products.
 
Achievement
 
Social benefit
 
According to the Recycling Printing Consumables Environmental Performance Evaluation Report issued by the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences, the use of recycled consumables can save 750 tons of crude oil a year, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2,000 tons, and reduce 250 tons of solid waste. According to statistics, Tianwei's recycled environmentally friendly consumables save 95% of energy consumption and 65% of plastic raw material costs compared to new consumables. The energy-saving and carbon-reduction results of Tianwei in the past ten years are equivalent to planting 32,000 trees, and the environmentally-friendly recycling has reduced hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of garbage.
 
As the leader of industry standards, Tianwei has participated in the preparation of 216 standards. Among them, there are 43 international standards and 83 national standards. Since 2004, Tianwei has participated in the ISO International Standards Annual Meeting as a Chinese delegation for 14 consecutive years. Tianwei initiated and promoted the establishment of a series of environmental labeling standards for printing consumable products in China, and the Recycling Toner Cartridge environmental labeling standard has become a common standard for mutual recognition of the German Blue Angel.
 
Economic bebefit
 
Under the strict supervision of ISO 9000 and other quality management systems, Tianweis recycling consumables has been evaluated by CCID, LYRA, IDC and other international third-party organizations as consumable products comparable to original consumables. Due to the advantages of the process, the price of Tianwei products has been reduced by 30%~40%, and the cost-effective products also help customers save costs. Following winning the industry's first 10-ring certificate in 2009, Tianwei's new toner cartridges and inkjet cartridges (new and recycled) products passed the 10-ring certification in 2011.
 
Tianwei's production of recycled consumables has achieved industrialization and technical self-sufficiency. In the past five years, Tianwei has produced nearly 100 million recycled materials. Tianwei is strong in the research and development of recycled consumables. It has applied for more than 1,300 independent patents at home and abroad. Its "Laser Recycled Toner Project" has won the "Technology Outstanding Contribution Award" for three consecutive years in Zhuhai City, and won the government's million-dollar award.
 
In 2010, Tianwei became the only consumables enterprise selected by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as the first batch of "pilot units for remanufacturing mechanical and electrical products". After passing the acceptance in 2016, Tianwei was identified as a demonstration unit for remanufacturing of electromechanical products.
 
Prospect
 
Recycling and environmental-friendly products are the trend of the future printing consumables industry. However, recycled consumables are also facing difficulties such as difficult resource recovery and poor import of raw materials. Tianwei hopes to contribute to developing a standard covering the entire process of recycling and remanufacturing of used consumables, standardizing recycling channels and strengthening the supervision of reproduction, continuing to lead and promote the healthy development of the consumables industry.