HP has new incentive to stop blocking third-party ink in its printers

Members of the International Imaging Technology Council (Int’l ITC) are calling out HP for issuing firmware updates that brick third-party ink and toner functionality in its printers. HP calls this Dynamic Security and has been doing it for years; however, the Int’l ITC is taking new issue with the practice, considering that it is explicitly prohibited for devices registered under the Global Electronics Council’s (GEC’s) Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) 2.0 registry.

The Int’l ITC is a trade group that says it represents North American “toner and inkjet cartridge re-manufacturers, component suppliers, and cartridge collectors.”

It’s important to note that the Int’l ITC may be considered biased because its members could greatly profit when printer manufacturers commit to supporting aftermarket cartridges in devices.

Still, customers and security experts have long criticized Dynamic Security, making the Int’l ITC’s complaints worth examining.

EPEAT 2.0 registry bans firmware updates that brick third-party ink

Following the launch of the original EPEAT registry in 2006, GEC launched EPEAT 2.0 in December 2025. Per a GEC website, “EPEAT 2.0 criteria are designed to identify more sustainable products, built by sustainability-conscious companies with responsibly managed supply chains.” The updated criteria address “climate change mitigation, sustainable use of resources (circularity), chemicals of concern, and responsible supply chains” across the lifecycle of products from five product categories: imaging equipment (such as printers), computers and displays, phones, servers, and TVs.

In an email discussion with Ars Technica, Tricia Judge, the Int’l ITC’s executive director and general counsel, explained that state, local, and educational (SLED) buyers, as well as consumers value EPEAT registration, saying:

Several representatives from the federal and SLED communities served on the EPEAT Technical Committee for Imaging Supplies. That is how invested they are in getting this right. Some other purchasers, such as those on the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council and other like-minded organizations also care about this designation. Consumers are a capricious crowd, but if all other things are equal, they do care about purchasing products that are better for the environment.

The GEC’s criteria for EPEAT 2.0 registration [PDF] includes a more user and environmentally friendly approach to third-party ink and toner. It states: “Manufacturer shall ensure registered products do not prevent the use of remanufactured cartridges, either manufacturer or non-manufacturer branded, by implementing one or more” of three options.

The first option requires manufacturers to refrain “from issuing firmware updates that intentionally disable remanufactured cartridges that, at the time of the firmware update, use aftermarket electronic circuitry to operate with the registered product’s then-current manufacturer firmware.”

The second option requires printer companies to make “available a manufacturer approved solution using unmodified original manufacturer electronic circuitry that ensures registered products permit the uninterrupted use of remanufactured cartridges” and don’t prevent key functionality.

The third option is for manufacturers to make available, such as via the manufacturer’s website, “to purchasers remanufactured cartridges, either manufacturer or nonmanufacturer branded, for, at minimum, registered products.”

As of this writing, 38,291 devices are under the EPEAT 1.0 registry. There are 163 products registered under EPEAT 2.0, but none are printers. This all underscores how new the EPEAT 2.0 registry is and the likelihood that the GEC is still working to register more devices, like printers.