This International Standard specifies product characteristics for use in an original equipment manufacturer's or authorized third party’s declaration of conformity to demonstrate that an office equipment product that contains reused components performs equivalent to new, meeting equivalent to new component specifications and performance criteria, and continues to meet all the safety and environmental criteria required by responsibly built products. The International Standard is relevant to office equipment products whose manufacturing and recovery processes result in the reuse of components. Annex C has a description of how reuse relates to other recycling processes. This International Standard specifically addresses office equipment. Consumable items such as customer replaceable toner cartridges are not in the scope of this International Standard. Equipment reprocessed by the original manufacturer or an authorized third party that does NOT meet the equipment’s original design performance specification is not in the scope of this International Standard. This International Standard is applicable to: ? A situation in which a government requires a neutral benchmark to evaluate the quality, safety and performance of equipment that contains reused components and to demonstrate the environmental responsibility of the supplier. When regulations mandate a neutral benchmark for equipment, this International Standard provides the benchmark for proving compliance with such regulation. ? A situation in which a commercial supplier requires a neutral benchmark to demonstrate and communicate the quality, safety and performance of equipment that contains reused components and to demonstrate the environmental responsibility of the supplier. ? Situations in which consumers require a neutral benchmark to identify or distinguish environmentally responsible products. This International Standard reflects the world’s current approaches that yield products from many manufacturing processes including the reuse of components, with the equipment’s warranties and guarantees playing an important role in the market acceptance. In today’s procurement processes, technical equipment definitions used by the regulators must be addressed and, in that sense, this International Standard will be useful in procurement and, in the trade facilitation area, to communicate with the regulators. This International Standard specifically addresses office equipment. However, in the future it may provide valuable directions for other industries and industrial sectors.