ETIRA Raises Concerns Over Misuse of Certification by ECOService

October 1, 2024

ETIRA, the European Toner and Inkjet Remanufacturers Association has made an official complaint to the International Testing and Certification body (ITC SRL) regarding the misuse of certification labels by the Italian company ECOService. ETIRA’s concerns relate to the improper use of the ITC label.

As confirmed by ITC, their labels do not hold any accreditation of, nor can they issue certifications regarding ecolables or even specific products. However, it appears ECOService is applying its ITC certificate as if it is an ecolabel certifying its toner and inkjet products.

Following our protest, ITC acknowledged that the ECOService certification in question is merely a “Certificate of Conformity” to an internal ITC document ITC/03/23, tied to CAM requirements, but in no way an official ecolabel or product certification.

Public tenders in Italy, a common platform for the procurement of remanufactured cartridges, often stipulate the need for Class 1 ecolabels. This requirement, while promoting sustainability, has inadvertently fostered a culture of misuse by many companies, including ECOService. For the last 3 years, ETIRA has brought to light instances where resellers, in a bid to meet these demands, have presented counterfeits or new products labelled as remanufactured in their offers to tenders. Another stark example of this trend was the infamous January 2024 Italian National Police tender case. That case centred on the supply of counterfeit toner cartridges to regional police and a hospital. The company won the bid by offering lower prices but was later found to be supplying non-original cartridges with fake manufacturer labels. The reseller was incarcerated, and later it turned out that he was also tied to a company that made improper use of the Italian Elabel! ecolabel.  Following ETIRA’s protests, this company lost its Elabel! accreditation.

CAM Requirements in Focus

Public procurement in Italy is governed by the Criteria Ambientali Minimi (CAM), or Minimum Environmental Criteria, which outline the environmental standards that products must meet in public tenders. These criteria, part of Italy’s Green Public Procurement policies, ensure that products like remanufactured cartridges are sustainable, requiring lifecycle assessments, recycling, and reduced emissions. Misusing ecolabel certifications undermines the effectiveness of CAM, leading to unfair competition in tenders and posing a risk to Italy’s sustainability goals.

This development highlights ETIRA’s ongoing commitment to maintaining high standards in the remanufacturing industry and preventing any misuse of certifications that could undermine market integrity.