Brother Industries, Ltd. has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Hardcopy Remanufacturing 2025 Vendor Assessment *¹, evaluating global vendors offering remanufactured devices and consumables.
We believe this recognition highlights Brother’s distinctive position in the market. Brother is the only hardware manufacturer to operate a fully certified remanufacturing programme for both toner and inkjet cartridges, with dedicated facilities in the UK and Slovakia that are certified carbon neutral and operate under zero waste to landfill policies.
“Reuse and remanufacturing in the hardcopy industry are not new concepts and have become integral parts of OEMs' sustainability programs. Decades of investment in hardware and consumable remanufacturing is now paying off for many brands, and others are following suit,” said Phil Sargeant, Senior Program Director, IDC's Imaging, Printing and Document Solutions.
Engineered for reuse: Brother’s circular design approach
Brother launched its toner cartridge remanufacturing programme in 2004 and has since remanufactured and recycled more than 40 million cartridges globally. In 2024, it expanded to include inkjet cartridges—reflecting growing demand and applying the same reuse-first design principles.
Brother’s consumables are created with reuse in mind. Parts are designed to be easily disassembled and interchanged. Cartridges are typically remanufactured up to three times, significantly extending their lifespan and reducing virgin material usage. The company is also working toward a target of 65% or less virgin material use by weight across its consumables portfolio.
Today, 100% of toner cartridges returned to Brother are processed—86% are remanufactured, and the remainder recycled to make other products—ensuring alignment with Brother’s circular economy strategy.
Quality and environmental performance
All remanufactured cartridges are held to the same performance standards as new ones and packaged under the same SKUs. Remanufacturing each cartridge results in around 30% fewer CO₂ emissions compared to producing a new one, based on internal lifecycle analysis for toner models.
Brother’s remanufacturing facilities in the UK and Slovakia are both certified carbon neutral and meet zero waste to landfill criteria. The UK site has maintained this status since 2013; the Slovakian facility since 2024 (zero avoidable waste to landfill).
“At Brother, we’ve built our remanufacturing capability on decades of engineering and design knowledge. Every cartridge we remanufacture meets the same standards as a new one but with lower environmental impact,” said Juan Carot, Senior Project Manager at Brother’s remanufacturing facility in Ruabon, UK. “We believe this recognition from the IDC MarketScape reinforces the investment we’ve made to scale up remanufacturing and help customers achieve both quality and sustainability.”
Making circularity practical for customers
Brother’s approach is notable for how it integrates customer convenience with circular principles. Across 29 European countries, customers receive pre-paid return envelopes and labels with their cartridges. They can also request additional envelopes or bulk return boxes via Brother’s website — offering a free, simple route back into the circular system.
For larger resellers and partners, Brother continues to develop more efficient return systems through its sales and logistics networks. These efforts support collection even for customers who aren’t under contract — a common scenario in SMB markets.
“Our reverse logistics aren’t just an afterthought — they’re core to how we enable customers and partners to participate in circularity without added complexity,” Carot added.
Looking ahead: scaling for the future
Brother’s recognition in this report follows it being named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Sustainability Programs and Services Hardcopy 2023 Vendor Assessment (doc #US49892223, December 2023). Together, these accolades reflect a business-wide commitment to building sustainable infrastructure and delivering long-term value.
Looking forward, Brother plans to apply its circular economy experience to hardware remanufacturing, expanding beyond consumables. This next phase will focus on maximising device lifespans and reintroducing refurbished models into the market—combining performance, value, and reduced environmental impact.
As remanufacturing operations grow, Brother anticipates this will contribute to the development of skilled roles in engineering, process management and logistics across its European sites.
For more information on how to return your used ink and toner cartridges for remanufacture, visit: https://www.brother.co.uk/recycling
To find out more about Brother’s environmental goals and remanufacturing processes, visit:
https://www.brother.co.uk/about-brother/environment-and-sustainability
About IDC MarketScape
IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and service suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.
*1: IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Hardcopy Remanufacturing 2025 Vendor Assessment (Doc #EUR153222025) March 2025
