• About Canon
• WEEE
• Environmental policy
• Cartridge recycling
• Copier re-manufacturing

Copier re-manufacturing

Long before the environmental movement became popular, Canon was developing recycling plans in one of the company’s mainstay areas, the copier division. Re-manufacturing of copiers began in 1992 at the Canon Virginia factory in the United States and in the United Kingdom, a plant dedicated solely to re-manufacturing came into operation in 1993.

As part of its environmental policy and in keeping with the WEEE directive, Canon carries out its activities according to the Kyosei philosophy of “living and working together for the common good”. This is why Canon decided to apply this policy to remanufacturing, refurbishing and reconditioning products.

• Reconditioning involves refurbishing photocopiers by cleaning, changing and disassembling the necessary parts.
• Canon products are never reconditioned to over 30% of the maximum copy capacity determined by the manufacturer.
• The copy capacity and condition of a photocopier are used to determine whether it can be reconditioned or not.
• Products can originate from different sources: end of leasing agreements, showrooms, fairs, commercial training rooms, etc
• These days, a special facility deals with products on a national scale in two large reconditioning plants.
• All products come from a warehouse that is managed and maintained by Canon technicians.
• Reconditioning of Canon products takes place in a strict and regulated environment: - Products are reconditioned on behalf of Canon. - Canon’s technical approach conforms to its environmental charter. Some sites are already ISO 14001 certified. - Products meet technical standards and Canon’s satisfaction requirements, which makes it possible to offer customer service conditions (maintenance service contracts) identical to those of brand new products.
• These photocopiers are recognisable by the REC logo on the front.

• The environmental impact is significantly reduced when a component or part is reused in its original state without taking it apart. This is the priniciple of re-manufacturing, which takes place in Giessen in Germany.
• Contrary to reconditioning, re-manufacturing involves refurbishing photocopiers using parts from other photocopiers.
• Only certain types of photocopiers can be re-manufactured.

• Not all photocopiers can be reconditioned or re-manufactured, so most of them must be refurbished rather than destroyed.
• Refurbishment involves disassembling products piece by piece.
• Canon believes that it is the manufacturer's responsibility to eliminate environmental pollution caused by products that consumers no longer need.
• Canon also believes that reconditioning and refurbishing photocopiers is essential in order to respect the principles of its environmental assurance guarantee. Up to now, Canon has kept all its promises without compromising on the quality of its products or on the satisfaction of its customers. Canon guarantees that the photocopiers it reconditions and refurbishes are as reliable as brand new products.