Aftermarket celebrates significant EPEAT standard

June 7, 2012

Public bodies able to accept non-OEM cartridges, beneficial updates on printer warranty, and added restrictions on refill-prohibiting cartridges receives affirmative vote.

The aftermarket has celebrated a significant victory for the security of the industry following the successful collection of affirmative votes necessary on the third ballot recirculation for the EPEAT-IEEE P1680.2 draft standard on Imaging Equipment.

This standard features a number of substantial and important developments for the aftermarket. ETIRA Secretary General Vincent van Dijk commented: “The international associations of cartridge remanufacturers UKCRA, ETIRA and I-ITC again proved to be strong lobbyists.

“Thanks to them, EPEAT, the world’s most important public procurement scheme, will now say that printers purchased by public bodies must accept non-OEM cartridges, and that their warranty is not void simply because non-OEM cartridges were used. It will also require that OEM cartridges may not be designed so as to prevent reuse.

“This is a major benefit for the European environment, and will drive sales of remanufactured consumables for years to come.”

Laura Heywood, Director of Kleen Strike and General Secretary of UKCRA, expressed approval that “wording was included encouraging reuse and this standard when released will have a far reaching impact for our industry.”

I-ITC’s Tricia Judge added: “The EPEAT process was long and onerous, but the aftermarket participants were deeply committed to getting the wording right so remanufactured products were protected and even given a preference.

“Representatives from the international cartridge remanufacturers’ associations and Static Control worked on EPEAT committees along with the many OEM representatives and members of the international recycling community. It was a productive and important experience.”

The standard will be submitted for approval to the IEEE SA Standards Board, with the final standard expected to be published following approval in October 2012.

The current draft is available for purchase at http://www.techstreet.com/ieee.