What is remanufacturing?

Remanufacturing restores used durable products to "new" condition to be used the same way as before. It involves replacing parts, paint, fabrics, wiring, and other worn components with those that are new and often better than original.

It is typically done inside a factory with the latest equipment and methods. The result is indistinguishable from new-in look and performance.

In addition, remanufactured products typically carry manufacturer warranties and have long been certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

Remanufacturing is a well-established industry dating at least as far back as World War II. In the 1980s. as landfill space began running out and Americans demanded greater protection of the environment, the industry grew.

Advancements in technology made it possible to recapture more materials than ever before. Today nearly everywhere you look, you'll find remanufactured products-from toner cartridges and photocopiers, to utility and medical equipment, to ships and airplanes.

Remanufacturing is the wave of the future. It has become part of the green building movement that's transforming the way we think about buildings and how we live and work in them.

Remanufacturing helps the environment through the reuse of products that would otherwise go into landfills. Reuse is second in the waste management hierarchy of reduce, reuse, recycle, also known as the 3R's.
      Reduce: using less of a resource or material in manufacturing and consumption-lowering the thermostat to use less energy, for example. Reduce is highest in the hierarchy because it offers the most potential for preventing waste.
      Reuse: using a product or material again in its original form or with little enhancement or change. A jelly jar can be reused as a drinking glass, for example.
      Recycle: collecting a product or material, separating and reprocessing it, and then transforming it into a different product. Used paper, for example, can be converted into cardboard, and plastic soda bottles can be made into fabric.