Background ↓
In 2017, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved an industry standard that defined remanufacturing as “a comprehensive and rigorous industrial process by which a previously sold, leased, used, worn or non-functional product or part is returned to ‘like new’ or ‘better than new’ condition, from both a quality and performance perspective, through a controlled, reproducible and sustainable process”. The notion of equal performance is key to addressing customer perceptions that new is, by default, better. Remanufacturing is already big business globally. The European Remanufacturing Network (ERN) estimated the value of remanufacturing in 2015 at just under €30bn in the European Union, followed by Japan (€3.8bn), Malaysia (€825m) and South Korea (€670m).
Remanufacturing in India is underdeveloped. Most remanufactured IT products are printer cartridges, although the definition of ‘remanufacture’ can be somewhat variable. Other known Indian business examples are in the heavy-duty and off-road (HDOR) sector including Volvo, which remanufactures construction equipment at its facility in Bangalore, and Cummins, which operates two remanufacturing facilities, including the ReCon India facility at Phaltan, Pune.
The UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) estimated that reuse and remanufacturing create 8-20 jobs per thousand tonnes of unwanted products, compared to 5-10 jobs for recycling and as little as 0.1 jobs for waste products sent to landfill. There are no comparable figures for India. Remanufacturing though will require transformation of waste management into resource recovery, providing safer and more dignified jobs for those currently involved in the informal scavenging and recycling activities.
Remanufacturing is a practical approach to achieve resource efficiency and operationalize the circular economy. Resource efficiency is a priority for India. This was highlighted by the Indian government’s think-tank, NITI Aayog, in its 2017 Resource Efficiency Strategy. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change followed up with a draft Resource Efficiency Policy issued in 2019. With collaboration between diverse stakeholders, including the government and the private sector, India could adopt a strategic ‘Remanufacturing Roadmap’. This would need strategic partnership, dialogue and leadership across all stakeholders involved.
On the occasion of the Global Reman Day 2021, Re:CREATe, in partnership with the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in collaboration with UN India Business Forum (UNIBF), and other collaborators are organizing a series of week-long deliberations, where policy makers, global leaders would participate with from April 5th, 2021 to April 9th, 2021. The series of events will provide an impetus for initiatives related to remanufacturing, circular economy transition, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production, building on efforts being deployed nationally and internationally.
What is ‘Global Reman Day’? ↓
Brought forward by the Remanufacturing Industries Council (RIC), Global Reman Day is a day to advance the remanufacturing industry through remanufacturer-hosted events and workforce development initiatives around the world. More information about Global Reman Day can be found here: https://remanday.org/
A Series of Events during the week of April 5, 2021 ↓
The key themes through the week include:
| Remanufacturing Success Stories in India: Showcasing companies that are already engaged in remanufacturing in India – Case Study Release | April 5th and 6th, 2021 |
| Women in Remanufacturing: Hearing from women in the remanufacturing profession from around the world – Live Online Event. Learn more and Register | April 7th, 2021 |
| Advancing Remanufacturing in India: Advancing the Vision of Remanufacturing, Sustainability, and the Circular Economy in India – Live Online Event. Learn more and Register | April 8th, 2021 |
| Global Perspectives on Reman and the Circular Economy: Climate Action, Evolving Public Policy, Private Sector Innovation, Global Trends and Partnerships – Live Online Event. Learn more and Register | April 9th, 2021 |
Key Contacts ↓
Rajiv Ramchandra: rajiv@recreateindia.org | Keshav Das: K.DAS@unido.org