Brother named a Leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Hardcopy Remanufacturing 2025 Vendor Assessment

Brother Industries, Ltd. has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Hardcopy Remanufacturing 2025 Vendor Assessment*¹. Brother was recognized for strengths in knowledge base and resources; ecodesign, dual toner and ink offerings, ample capacity and sustainability.

Brother remains the only hardware manufacturer with a fully certified remanufacturing programme for both toner and inkjet cartridges, supported by purpose-built, carbon-neutral, zero waste to landfill facilities in the UK and Slovakia.

“Reuse and remanufacturing in the hardcopy industry are not new concepts and have become integral parts of OEMs' sustainability programs,” said Phil Sargeant, Senior Program Director at IDC. “Decades of investment are now paying off for many brands, and others are following suit.”

Built for reuse

Since 2004, Brother has remanufactured and recycled over 40 million cartridges globally. In 2024, the company expanded into inkjet cartridge remanufacturing, applying its reuse-first design approach. Cartridges are designed for easy disassembly and reuse, often remanufactured up to three times. Brother has also committed to limiting virgin material use to 65% or less by weight across its consumables.

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. The process generates approximately 30% fewer CO₂ emissions than manufacturing new cartridges, based on lifecycle analysis for toner models.

“Every cartridge we remanufacture meets the same standards as a new one but with a lower environmental impact,” said Juan Carot, Senior Project Manager at Brother’s UK facility in Ruabon. “We believe this IDC MarketScape recognition reflects our continued investment in scalable, high-quality remanufacturing.”

Making returns simple

Brother’s reverse logistics are designed to be practical and accessible. In 29 European countries, customers receive pre-paid return envelopes and labels, with bulk collection boxes also available via Brother’s website. These efforts extend to products sold without contracts, especially relevant in SMB markets.

“Our logistics model makes circularity easy for customers and partners,” Carot added.

Forward outlook

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). The company now plans to extend remanufacturing into hardware, aiming to reduce device waste by refurbishing and redeploying printers across the market.

This expansion supports not only sustainability goals but also skilled roles across Brother’s European remanufacturing operations.

For more on Brother’s cartridge return programme, click here.

Click here to learn more about its wider sustainability efforts.

*1: IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Hardcopy Remanufacturing 2025 Vendor Assessment (Doc # EUR153222025) March 2025

About IDC MarketScape 

IDC MarketScape vendor assessment model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and service suppliers 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.