The Brother Product
Life Cycle
From design and inception through to collection and recycling, every stage of our products' life cycle is considered to minimise any impact on the environment.
Brother’s headquarters in Japan holds the accreditation for ISO 14064 which specifies principles and requirements for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Details about our emissions can be found on the global Brother website.
ISO 14001
ISO, or the International Organisation for Standardisation, is the world’s largest developer of standards to make industry more efficient and effective.
We at Brother believe holding the ISO 14001 accreditation for Environmental Management is important to show our commitment to reducing our environmental impact.
The standard was updated in 2015 to ensure environmental good practice is fully embraced across all areas of a business. All Brother Sales offices have held the ISO 14001:2015 standard since September 2018.
This latest version specifies the requirements for an Environmental Management System that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. All Brother Sales offices will upgrade their current certification ISO 14001 to the new standard before September 2018.
REACH is a European Union regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment by implementing regulations for all European companies.
As a responsible and environmentally conscious company, Brother fulfils REACH regulations by gathering information on the properties of chemical substances and registering substances used in our products according to REACH deadlines.
Every Brother product is issued with a Declaration of Conformity, proving that it meets the relevant requirements of all applicable directives. The declaration must be issued by the manufacturer.
Please note: The RoHS Statement is now included in this Declaration of Conformity.
As an environmentally responsible company, we comply with the following European legislations on waste: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, Battery Directive, Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.
Following the WEEE Directive, Brother machines are designed with the recycling and recovery of materials in mind, and we have established systems for collecting waste equipment at the end of their lifespan.
The Battery Directive aims to reduce the environmental threats posed by batteries and increase recycling rates. Therefore, each of our sales offices in Europe is a member of a battery recovery and recycling compliance organisation.
The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive focuses on four areas of waste management; Prevention, Reuse, Recycling and Recovery. Under this directive, we ensure our packaging is as efficient and environmentally friendly as possible.
Access the data sheets for specific models across our range of products.
Our four global printing manufacturing facilities have received Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Platinum certification for our commitment to fulfilling our social responsibilities through the establishment of sustainable supply chains.
RBA’s code of conduct sets out standards to ensure that working conditions are safe, that workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that business operations are conducted environmentally responsibly and ethically.
For more information about RBA, you can visit the Brother Global website below.
Brother received a silver medal from EcoVadis, a globally recognised and trusted business sustainability rating.
The rating assesses four key areas of management in relation to sustainability: environment, human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement, and is only awarded to businesses who are actively improving their business practices within these areas.
We have our own dedicated Brother operated factories in the UK and Slovakia. Our UK facility has maintained Valpak's Zero Waste to Landfill certification since 2013, with our Slovakia facility receiving Zero Avoidable Waste to Landfill certification in 2024.
Valpak provides independent certification of an organisation’s Zero Waste to Landfill achievement by performing a site audit and a review of documentation.
This eco-label is issued by the Federal Environmental Agency, the German Institute for Quality Assurance and Labelling.
In July 2008, the MFC-6490CW and DCP-6690CW were the first inkjet All-in-Ones in the world to be certified according to the ink-jet standard of that time.
In the current standard (DE-UZ219), besides even higher environmental requirements for products, adherence to the core labor standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO) regarding due diligence in raw material procurement, support for regional initiatives regarding responsible mining, and social sustainability during production are included.
This eco-label is issued by the Federal Environmental Agency, the German Institute for Quality Assurance and Labelling.
In June 2023, TN-3512 RE became the first in the world to be certified under the recycled cartridge standard (DE-UZ 177).
The Nordic Swan is the official eco label in the Nordic region, endorsing environmental best practice. We proudly received our first Nordic Swan label in 2009 and now many of our products feature the accreditation.
The label covers products’ entire life cycle, from creation to repair, upgrade and disposal, alongside key features including product quality. Requirements include low energy consumption in sleep mode and duplex printing to reduce paper consumption. Low emissions and noise levels are also key requirements.
From design and inception through to collection and recycling, every stage of our products' life cycle is considered to minimise any impact on the environment.
Discover Renew By Brother, our ink and toner cartridge remanufacturing programme and find out how you can support us by recycling your used printer cartridges.
We believe sustainability is about operating responsibly; but more than that, it's an opportunity to support the communities we're a part of and to have a positive impact on the world.