Problem Solvers Recycling Guidelines:

  Recycled Office Furniture:
Recycled office furniture is a term used for any post-consumer office furniture that has been diverted out of the solid waste stream and back into the market with or without repairs. This includes remanufactured, refurbished, and reused (as-is/used) Office furniture, all of which are being "used again."
  Remanufactured Office Furniture:
Remanufactured office furniture is recycled office furniture that has had value added to the product by being completely disassembled to its parts, inspected and cleaned, repaired or replaced, reassembled and refinished to "like new" conditions, and returned to the market for sale.

  Refurbished Office Furniture:
Refurbished office furniture is recycled office furniture that has had value added to the product by being "touched-up" or cosmetically improved and then returned to the market for sale.
  Reused Office Furniture:
Reused, "used" or "as-is." office furniture is recycled office furniture that has been returned to the market for sale without repair or improvement to its appearance.
  New Office Furniture:
New office furniture purchased from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for resale by your company.  It is composed entirely of OEM parts.  The parts are made mostly of raw materials (natural resources) that have not been used before, although some manufacturers' components may have recycled content.

RETHINKING STRATEGIES FOR CORPORATE GROWTH AND PROFITS THROUGH REMANUFACTURING.

   Today's recycled or remanufactured office furniture offers corporations a way to manage their supply of furniture once it's been used, while giving companies an attractive alternative to purchasing new products.  Not only does remanufactured furniture look as good and perform as well as new office furniture, but companies can expect an average savings of 30 to 50 percent just by BUYING RECYCLED.

REMANUFACTURING THE GLOBAL ECONOMY 

   Never before in history has corporate competitive advantage depended less on machinery and raw materials, and more on intellectual capital. The revolution is not simply about the accelerated pace of business, nor is it just about increasing the quality of products and services at cost-competitive prices-it's about creating and integrated strategy that requires every corporate asset to produce value.
   The new business model of today integrates environmental responsibility with environmental opportunity to produce this value.  Within this model, recycling and remanufacturing are applied as strategies for investment recovery, rather than waste-disposal management.
   Remanufacturing creates multiple lives for everything from machinery to consumer products, and it can save companies 30 to 70 percent over original costs.  In addition, remanufacturing typically uses only about one-fifth of the energy required for first-time manufacturing.
    What exactly is a remanufactured product?  It is any product that has completed its "first" life after being manufactured, sold and used.  It involves disassembly, cleaning, repair and replacement, the reassembly to a sound working condition.  Most remanufactured parts are covered by full warranties. 
    Last year alone, remanufacturing generated over $53 billion in revenues, making it one of the largest industry sectors in America-providing more value than the consumer durables category.  Besides providing jobs to local economies, remanufacturing contributes millions back to corporate bottom lines.

OFFICE FURNITURE RECYCLING:  A HISTORY OF
 HELPING THE ECONOMY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

There are two ways to take
advantage of buying recycled
office furniture. Consumers can
either supply their own worn
furniture for refurbishing (a
closed loop system) or purchase remanufactured products they did
not originally own (an open loop system).

The recycling and remanufacturing industry began during the Depression as a way of reducing production costs, especially in the automotive industry.  The World War II effort expanded the recycling industry as many natural resources were used to support the military.  After World War II, the recycling and remanufacturing industry continued to prosper having proven that recycled products provide a reliable, economical alternative to new products.

During the 1980s, the office furniture remanufacturing industry emerged, growing from a handful of pioneers to several hundred companies across the United States.  Today's furniture recyclers offer sophisticated manufacturing and distribution capabilities and contribute more than 1.2 billion of the $13.6 billion commercial furniture industry