The tools were developed by the International Task Force on Harmonization and Equivalence in Organic Agriculture (ITF), comprised of representatives from governments, intergovernmental organizations and private sector representatives, and subjected to international consultation. The Guide for Assessing Equivalence of Standards and Technical Regulations EquiTool and the International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) can be used by any government or private sector organic label scheme as tools for recognizing other organic standards and certification performance requirements as equivalent to their own.

IROCB

International Requirements for Organic Certification Bodies (IROCB) is a tool to enable government and organic certification and accreditation bodies to recognize certification bodies outside of their own system, and thus facilitate the acceptance of organic products certified by these bodies.  It is a normative documents which includes most of the requirements of ISO 65, adapted for the organic sector, and additional  sector-specific requirements. Because it is a norm,  IROCB can also be used directly for accreditation or organic certification bodies.

EquiTool

Regional differences in standards and technical regulations for organic production and processing are often justifiable and even desirable due to diverse geographic and agronomic conditions, culture, and stage of development for organic agriculture throughout the world.  But on the other hand, variations in standards cause difficulties for governments and certification bodies to recognize and accept organic products certified in other systems or programs, and therefore also for organic producers to get their certified organic products accepted in different markets. 

To promote equivalence as a solution to this problem, the ITF developed a guidance document, Tool for Equivalence or Organic Standards and Technical Regulations (EquiTool).  This guideline aims to facilitate and harmonize assessments of equivalence of organic production and processing standards and technical regulations.  The scope of this guideline is limited to the equivalence assessment process.  It includes a standard procedure, criteria for evaluating differences in standards, and information about using objectives of organic standards in the assessment process.