In recognition of its innovation and commitment to sustainability in the design and manufacture of new products, Lexmark has been named the winner of the 2020 Design for Recycling (DFR) award by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI). The DFR award is ISRI’s most prestigious honor given annually to the most innovative contribution to products designed with recycling in mind. Lexmark received the award specifically for the design of its toner cartridges, of which 95% contain at least some post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic content.

“As ISRI’s highest honor, the Design for Recycling award recognizes those who put recycling and sustainability at the forefront of their product design,” said ISRI President Robin Wiener. “Through the development of its toner cartridges from the initial concept stages all the way to end-of-life, Lexmark has worked to actively incorporate design-for-recycling principles in every element. ISRI is proud to recognize Lexmark as the 2020 Design for Recycling award recipient and we look forward to their continued work to design with recycling in mind.”

In addition to 95% of Lexmark toner cartridges containing some post-consumer recycled content, Lexmark reuses and recycles cartridge parts through planned cartridge design, material selection, and an end-of-life return program. The company has its own R2-certified recycling center, where it aims to receive every cartridge back for recycling. Having its own recycling facility ensures that Lexmark has a high return rate for its end-of-life cartridges. The company also pays for shipping the used cartridges to the facility.

“Lexmark provides sustainable solutions throughout the entire product lifecycle — from sustainable design to efficient use of responsible recycling,” said John Gagel, Chief Sustainability Officer, Lexmark. “Sustainable design is one of Lexmark’s key CSR pillars. Winning the DFR award validates our commitment to using materials derived from sustainable sources that are designed to have minimal impact on the environment throughout the print lifecycle.”

Lexmark started planning for PCR content in the plastics in its cartridges in 2008. Starting with just 2% PCR content, by 2018, the average PCR content in its latest line of cartridges was an average of 21%.

ISRI began presenting this award more than 10 years ago. Previous winners include Nestlé Waters North America, Dell Inc., EcoStrate, Samsung, LG Electronics Inc., Cascades Fine Papers Group, Hewlett-Packard, The Herman Miller Company, and Wind Simplicity.

ISRI represents 1,300 companies in 20 chapters in the United States and more than 40 countries that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, ISRI provides education, advocacy, safety, and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the US economy, global trade, and environmental and sustainable development. Generating nearly $110 billion annually in US economic activity, the scrap recycling industry provides more than 500,000 Americans with good jobs, said ISRI.