Remanufacturing and Refurbishment of Electronic Devices—Their Future from a Business Perspective

Remanufacturing and refurbishment of electronic devices can be profitable business strategies for companies and a way to counteract the rapidly growing waste stream of electronic scrap. The industrial remanufacturing process provides a used device with a second life and a quality similar to a new device. However, companies and organizations that offer such devices still encounter difficulties. While earlier research has already partly covered the field of remanufacturing, it still lacks real-word examples and practical solutions to existing challenges. The identification and discussion of solutions for possible obstacles are thus a focus of this work. Furthermore, emerging trends in this industry as well as digitalisation and online trade with remanufactured devices are discussed. Attention is also paid to future developments in the field of remanufacturing, specifically to topics that could dominate this industry. The method applied to collect indicators for these various focal points was a Delphi study, which was conducted with experts in the field of remanufacturing. This study included a total of three survey rounds. It is noteworthy that the experts emphasized the importance of networking and various forms of cooperation in the reuse sector. Furthermore, the significance of remanufacturers’ transparency, especially concerning the remanufacturing process as well as the condition and assessment of the offered devices, was emphasized.