HP is accused of using firmware to block refurbished ink cartridges, violating the latest global sustainability standards.

HP is once again in the spotlight for blocking the use of third-party ink and toner cartridges through firmware updates, this time targeting a newly upgraded global sustainability certification standard. The International Imaging Technology Council (Int'l ITC), a trade organization representing the ink cartridge refurbishment industry, pointed out that HP's latest printer firmware is in direct conflict with the US General Electronics Council (GEC) updated electronic product environmental assessment tool standard EPEAT 2.0.

EPEAT 2.0 will be officially launched in December 2025. Compared with the old version, EPEAT 2.0 has significantly tightened the certification threshold for environmentally friendly electronic products, covering five major categories of products: imaging equipment, computers and monitors, mobile phones, servers, and TVs, and puts forward more stringent requirements in terms of recyclability, supply chain responsibility, and sustainable design. One of the key provisions clearly states that certified printing equipment must not prevent the use of refurbished ink cartridges, whether they are from the original manufacturer or a third party.

According to the details published by GEC, printer manufacturers have three compliance paths under this provision: one is to avoid deactivating refurbished ink cartridges through firmware updates; the other is to provide approved refurbished consumable solutions while keeping the device functionally intact; and the third is to sell available refurbished ink cartridge options to users through its own channels. These designs are designed to promote the recycling of consumables rather than “use and throw them away”.

There are still more than 38,000 products listed in the old EPEAT 1.0 registry, but only 163 products have actually completed the transition to 2.0, and none of them are from the printer camp. The International Imaging Technology Council believes this reality reflects a lack of enthusiasm from mainstream vendors, especially HP, in aligning hardware designs with new sustainability frameworks.

The controversy centers on HP printer firmware 2602A/B, which was released on January 29, 2026. This version is said to further expand HP's years of "Dynamic Security" mechanism - this mechanism will identify and disable third-party ink cartridges that use non-HP chips. The update affects at least 11 printer models, including the wide-format OfficeJet Pro 7720, which was launched nearly nine years ago. HP insists that "Dynamic Security" is designed to protect against counterfeit consumables and potential cyber threats, but critics argue that it is essentially a digital rights management (DRM) method that limits consumer choice and undermines efforts to reduce waste.

In a statement, the International Imaging Technology Council accused HP of touting its leadership in circular business models and sustainable product design while “prioritizing profits” in actual operations and not truly aligning with the highest environmental standards of EPEAT 2.0. As early as 2023, the organization asked GEC to revoke the EPEAT certification of more than 100 HP printers on the same grounds that its "locking consumables" practice violated the principle of prohibiting locking in the registry at the time; however, under the more liberal EPEAT 1.0 framework, this request was ultimately not supported.

Tricia Judge, executive director and general counsel of the International Imaging Technology Council, said that HP is "almost unique" in the industry in repeatedly implementing ink cartridge "locking" through firmware updates. She noted that other vendors have tried various ways to gain a competitive advantage in the past, but HP's approach is "particularly unique" in terms of sustainability and impact on end users. Judge also emphasized that HP's controversial firmware release was later than the effective time of EPEAT 2.0, so it can be regarded as a direct "stress test" of the implementation of the new standard.

In Judge's view, although the upgraded EPEAT standard still cannot completely close all the loopholes in cartridge interoperability, it is "an improvement" compared to the past, and at least provides clearer tools to limit the blocking of consumables through software means. It remains to be seen whether the GEC will conclude that HP's "dynamic security" mechanism is incompatible with EPEAT 2.0. This turmoil remains unresolved for the time being, but it highlights a long-standing conflicting intersection: on the one hand, there are policies and industry standards in the name of environmental protection and circular economy, and on the other hand, the business logic of manufacturers firmly controlling the consumables market through firmware and chips. In a decades-long battle between printer manufacturers and the consumable refurbishment industry, this new conflict over firmware and sustainability rules may be just the beginning of the latest round.