Reuse planning
Introduction
Remanufacturing is “the rebuilding of a product to original specifications using a combination of reused, repaired, and new parts.” [1] Requires the repair or replacement of worn or obsolete components. Parts that wear out and that affect the performance or expected life of the product are replaced.[2] Remanufacturing is a way of recovering products that differs from other recovery processes by its integrity: a remanufactured machine must meet the same customer expectations as a new machine.
Remanufacturing is a concept of the circular economy, within the spirit of the Three Rs Rule (reduce, reuse and recycle). Another close concept is reconditioning (electronics) "Reconditioning (electronics)"). It should not be confused with reinvoicing, which involves re-invoicing a product or service, because the initial invoice was incorrect or some condition has changed.[3].
In 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the Comprehensive Procurement Guideline (CPG) program to promote waste reduction and resource savings through the use of materials recovered from solid waste, and to ensure that recycled materials were used in the manufacture of new products. EPA is required to designate products made from or that can be made from recovered materials, and to recommend practices for purchasing these products. Once a product is designated, state and federal procurement agencies must purchase it at the highest possible recovered material content level.
In 2004, EPA published its third CPG update (CPG IV), which specified 7 additional products and revised 3 existing product designations. One of the new categories added was remanufactured vehicle parts.[5]The EPA describes these parts as “vehicle parts that have been remanufactured, reusing parts in their original form. “These parts undergo an extensive remanufacturing and testing process, and must meet the same performance specifications as new parts.”
In the United Kingdom, a market potential of up to £5.6 billion has been identified for remanufacturing, the benefits of which are seen as improvements in trade margins, revenues and security of supply[6] (because materials that are already in the country are used, without the need to import them).