Building a Sustainable Future through the Circular Economy

Building a Sustainable Future through the Circular Economy

By Heidi Boller – General Manager, Katun EMEA

It’s estimated that more than 375 million ink and toner cartridges end up in a landfill each year. For the imaging industry, this waste represents both a challenge and a lost business opportunity. As one of the world's leading alternative suppliers to the business equipment industry, Katun has spent more than 45 years proving that sustainable practices and business success go hand in hand.

Operating in 124 countries and serving more than 8,000 customers through 50 global locations, Katun provides high-quality, competitively priced alternatives to OEM imaging supplies. In late 2024, we expanded our portfolio with the launch of our first OEM multifunction printer line, Arivia. For decades, Katun has stood out for embedding circular economy principles into every aspect of our business, replacing the traditional “make–use–dispose” model with a regenerative approach that benefits both the planet and our partners.

Beyond Traditional Aftermarket Supply

At Katun, our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy is built on doing the right thing for our communities, our partners, and our planet. We take our responsibility as a global citizen and active participant in the circular economy seriously, understanding that our ESG commitments aren't just statements on paper, they're active strategies that shape how we serve our dealer partners and their customers.

Since launching our first remanufactured drum unit in 1990, we’ve led the way in sustainable imaging solutions. Our remanufactured and refilled products drastically reduce environmental impact by up to 84% compared to OEM cartridges, while offering dealer partners a strong value proposition that resonates with eco-conscious customers.

Katun Collects: Advancing the Circular Economy

In October 2025, we launched Katun Collects, a collection and recycling program developed in partnership with global sustainability leader, Close the Loop. Katun Collects is designed to simplify the return and recycling of used toner cartridges, core components, and parts, including those from our Arivia MFPs. By recovering valuable materials and minimizing waste, the program significantly reduces environmental impact across the entire product lifecycle.

Our partnership with Close the Loop ensures all returned materials are processed according to the highest environmental standards. The program aims to recover more than 50 tons of used cartridges and components each year, with the majority being repurposed into remanufactured cartridges. This significantly cuts down on landfill waste and reinforces our shared commitment to sustainable product lifecycle management.

Participation in Katun Collects is now available to select customers in Europe with plans to expand in the future. With Katun Collects, we’re not only reducing our own environmental footprint - we’re empowering our customers to take part in building a more circular and sustainable future.

Innovation That Drives Competitive Advantage

Sustainability drives product innovation throughout our global R&D operations, creating competitive advantages for our dealer partners while advancing our environmental stewardship. We were early pioneers in circular product design, introducing the first refillable OEM cartridge concept back in 2008. Since then, we've expanded this innovation into a diverse portfolio of solutions. Our industry-first Katun ecoKAP™ refillable toner cartridge can be refilled up to three times, extending its lifecycle and reducing per-page printing costs for end-users.

Our dedication to sustainable materials also sets us apart. By incorporating up to 95% recycled plastics into select products, we’re reducing environmental impact while improving product performance and lowering manufacturing costs.

Sustainability is also embedded throughout our business operations. At our European Distribution Centre in the Netherlands, we've implemented solar energy, transitioned to plastic-free packaging, and adopted on-demand box production. These initiatives minimize waste, lower operational costs, and help our partners meet their own sustainability goals.

Beyond product design, we’re focused on building more sustainable operations. Investments in local sourcing and regional remanufacturing support local economies, shorten supply chains, and reduce our overall carbon footprint.

Measurable Impact for Dealer Success

Through initiatives like Print It, Plant It, a reforestation program in partnership with PrintReleaf™, our EMEA customers have offset over 100 million pages of paper, resulting in over 19,000 trees being planted. Programs like these help dealer partners and their customers turn routine purchases into visible, trackable environmental wins.

We’ve also offset 179 metric tons of CO₂ through the UPS Carbon Neutral Program and are transitioning our fleet to electric vehicles, further reducing emissions while enhancing delivery efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Looking Ahead: Ambitious Goals, Shared Growth

Our sustainability roadmap includes converting 90% of our EMEA fleet to low-emission vehicles by 2030 and increasing our eco-friendly product range to 45% by 2026. We’ll also plant 5,000 trees annually as part of our growing reforestation efforts, offering dealers marketing tools and customer engagement opportunities tied to sustainability.

The circular economy succeeds when innovative businesses work together. At Katun, we provide dealer partners with the products, tools, and support to thrive, turning sustainability into a strategic advantage. By making smarter, more responsible choices, we’re not just reducing waste, we’re generating value.<.p>

Let's continue to do the right thing for our businesses, our communities, and our planet. Let's navigate a sustainable future together!

You can learn more about our sustainability initiatives in Katun EMEA’s 2025 ESG Report.