The 3rd alternative is for producers to offer, such as by means of the producer’s site, “to buyers remanufactured cartridges, either maker or nonmanufacturer branded, for, at minimum, signed up items.”

Since this writing, 38,291 gadgets are under the EPEAT 1.0 windows registry. There are 163 items signed up under EPEAT 2.0, however none are printers. This all highlights how brand-new the EPEAT 2.0 computer registry is and the probability that the GEC is still working to sign up more gadgets, like printers.

Still, the Int’l ITC is doubtful about HP ever following EPEAT 2.0’s requirements, particularly thinking about that “HP launched firmware 2602A/B on January 29, 2026 throughout eleven printer designs,” the trade group stated in a news release recently. (At least a few of the firmware updates, consisting of for the almost 9-year-old OfficeJet Pro 7720, appear to have actually come out in February.)

“HP’s current habits is emblematic of a bigger pattern,” the Int’l ITC’s release stated. “HP positions itself as a leader in sustainability, circular company designs, and accountable item style, however rather of proactively aligning its items and practices with the greatest ecological requirements, such as EPEAT 2.0, HP puts revenues initially and waits up until external examination or the danger of non-compliance forces alter.”

In an e-mail conversation with Ars Technica, Tricia Judge, the Int’l ITC’s executive director and basic counsel, mentioned that HP’s firmware upgrade was successful the launch of the EPEAT 2.0 computer registry. She described why the Int’l ITC’s news release called out HP however no other printer makers:

HP is the just one with lockout chips that are set off utilizing firmware “upgrades” that declare “security” as a validation for their presence. HP is the just one that misguides and irritates its own clients when locking out the ecologically remarkable competitors. The others have actually made some intriguing efforts in the past to produce a competitive benefit.

In 2023, the Int’l ITC composed a letter to the GEC asking for that the GEC withdraw a minimum of 101 of HP’s printers from the (initial) EPEAT windows registry, mainly due to Dynamic Security. GEC rejected the Int’l ITC’s demand.

“EPEAT 1.0 was really standard (no disturbance with using remanufactured cartridges), and HP declared that its declarations (buried in its marketing products and/or on its site) that it didn’t disrupt making use of remanufactured cartridges was a loophole that the GEC chose was appropriate,” Judge stated. “We were attempting to close that loophole with EPEAT 2.0. We didn’t get it as airtight as we hoped, however it is much better.

HP didn’t react to Ars Technica’s ask for remark for this story.