Agnese Metitieri
Circular Economy Ventures Lead, Irish Manufacturing Research (IMR), The Secretariat of Circuléire
Remanufacturing is transforming industrial sustainability by restoring used products to like-new condition, offering a scalable and economically viable circular business model with significant environmental benefits.
Remanufacturing is extending product life cycles and decoupling growth from resource use. Remanufacturing is a commercially viable and scalable circular business model. In Ireland, sectors ripe for scale-up include renewables, e-mobility, energy-intensive industries, information and communication technology (ICT), aerospace and defence, health/medtech and the built environment.
Benefits of remanufacturing/refurbishment
Remanufacturing/refurbishing products offers significant economic and environmental benefits. It stabilises supply chains, saves money and boosts competitiveness. Environmentally, it promotes material recovery, energy efficiency, waste reduction and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Remanufacturing can cut resource extraction and waste by up to 80% compared to making new products (ERC, 2024). For example, remanufacturing industrial equipment can reduce raw material use by 80–98% (IRP, 2018).
Remanufacturing and refurbishment
are recognised as a key enabler of
sustainability and circular economy goals.
Regulatory drivers for remanufacturing
From a policy perspective, remanufacturing and refurbishment are recognised as a key enabler of sustainability and circular economy goals. European initiatives such as the ESPR, Right to Repair and Critical Raw Materials Act foster a favourable environment for their growth. In Ireland, remanufacturing is recognised in the Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy 2022–2023 for its benefits. The Green Public Procurement Strategy 2024–2027 targets 80% of public sector ICT procurements to be remanufactured by 2025.
Leveraging remanufacturing and refurbishment
The Remanufacturing Insights Report showcases how industry and the public sector can leverage the benefits of remanufacturing and refurbishment. It provides actionable strategies and real-world case studies, demonstrating opportunities for cross-sectoral replication.
One recent Irish example is Circular Computing and GreenIT securing a €30 million, four-year procurement framework from the Government of Ireland to supply 60,000 remanufactured laptops to the public sector under the Green Public Procurement Strategy. This initiative will prevent 19 million kilograms CO2 of emissions and preserve 72 million kilograms of mined resources and 11 billion litres of water while delivering high-performing ICT equipment.
Remanufacturing is recognised by the EU as central to a competitive circular economy and has cross-sectoral replication potential in Ireland. Could your business adopt remanufacturing as a business model to capture circular value?
