IEEE-1680.2 and .3 standards to go live October 2012

July 11, 2012

New imaging devices standards campaigned for by UKCRA and ETIRA expected to be active as of October 2012.

EPEAT has announced that the new IEEE-1680.2 and .3 standards for imaging products is in the process of being approved by the Standards Association, expected to be active by October 2012.

The standard, which will also add televisions to the suite of products that can be registered and verified through the EPEAT system, will enable public bodies to accept non-OEM cartridges and add restrictions on refill-prohibiting cartridges, among other benefits.

Industries associations UKCRA and ETIRA and the I-ITC were heavily involved in campaigning for the standards, and their success represents a significant victory for the aftermarket.

ETIRA Secretary General Vincent van Dijk spoke with The Recycler shortly after confirmation of achieving enough votes on the third ballot recirculation: “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 requite 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.”