RECIKLAŽA TONERJEV IN KARTUŠ Z VIDIKA POTROŠNIKOV - Žebovec, Katja (2016)
Dandanes je ponudba tonerjev in kartuš dostopna v trgovinah s tehničnim blagom ali preko spletnih trgovin. Vse bolj cenovno dostopne tonerje in kartuše ponujajo spletni trgovci. Kupce spodbujajo z raznovrstnimi akcijami, kot je brezplačna dostava, raznovrstna ponudba kompatibilnih tonerjev ter kartuš, popusti ter ostalimi akcijami, zato se posledično vse več kupcev odloča za nakup preko spletnih trgovin. Ponudniki preko spletnih trgovin večinoma ne prevzemajo odpadnih tonerjev in kartuš, kar povzroči zaskrbljenost glede varovanja okolja, saj odločitev, ali se bo odpadni toner recikliral, ali ne, prepuščajo potrošnikom. Drugi problem, s katerim se srečujemo, je povečanje prodaje neoriginalnih oz. kompatibilnih tonerjev in kartuš iz azijskega trga po zelo nizkih konkurenčnih cenah v primerjavi z originalnimi ali obnovljenimi tonerji. Na tržišču jih imenujemo kompatibilni tonerji, ki predvsem predstavljajo okoljevarstveni problem, saj so le za enkratno uporabo, sestavljeni iz manj kakovostnih materialov ter posledično bolj škodljivi za okolje in zdravje potrošnika. Za temo diplomske naloge smo se odločili na podlagi naše dejavnosti v podjetju Biro pisarna, Katja Žebovec s.p. Glavna dejavnost podjetja je najem ter prodaja kopirnih naprav ter posledično tonerjev in kartuš. In tudi sami smo želeli ugotoviti, zakaj največ potrošnikov povprašuje po kompatibilnih tonerjih in raziskati možnosti recikliranja tonerjev in kartuš. Ugotovili smo, da je ključni problem odsotnost obveščanja ter informiranja potrošnikov. Ponudniki bi z informiranjem dosegli premišljene kupce, katerim ni pomemba le cena, vendar tudi dolgoročna naložba za varnost okolja, kakovost izpisa ter med drugim to, da ne skrajšujejo življenjsko dobo kopirne naprave ali tiskalnika. Toners and cartridges are available in technical stores or on-line stores. Especially on-line stores are making toners and cartridges more affordable. Consumers are targeted via various offers or sales like free delivery, big offer of compatible toners and cartridges, discounts or other ways, which result that consumers buy more via on-line stores. However, in majority they don’t take back used toners and cartridges and this is worrying especially from the environmental aspect because the decision whether to recycle the toner or cartridge or not is left to the consumer. The other problem that has been recognized is increased offer and sale of non-original toners or cartridges, called generic or compatible toners and cartridges. They have significantly lower price in comparison to original or remanufactured toners and cartridges and are produced mainly in Asia. They cause a bigger environmental problem as they can be used only once, the components are of a lower quality and they are more harmful for the environment and for consumers’ health. The topic of this dissertation has been chosen due to the main activity of our company Biro pisarna, Katja Žebovec s.p. Our main activity is renting or selling copying devices and toners and cartridges. We wanted to discover why consumers mainly seek compatible toners and cartridges and to research the possibility of recycling toners and cartridges. The main finding is that the key problem when it comes to buying toners or cartridges is that the consumers are not (properly) informed. Providers/stores could reach more deliberate consumers by providing more information to them. Providers could then reach the consumers who decide what to buy not only on the basis of the price but also on its impact on the environment, quality of copy or the fact that the life-expectancy of the device is not shortened by using chosen toner or cartridge.