Producing goods for remanufacturing and reuse

Secondary markets are those that lag behind primary markets in terms of high technical specification, functionality or absolute quality and, therefore, price.

Examples of secondary markets include:

• repairing and testing used mobile phones, and other information and communication technology (ICT) for export
• exporting used school furniture to developing nations
• refurbishing of furniture and white goods by charities for sale to disadvantaged people in the UK
• exporting used bricks for de-mortaring and reuse abroad

These types of secondary market are vital to remanufacturing. The process is hard to justify if, for instance, the technology changes very quickly, fashion causes a high turnover of designs and styles, or if the product is durable but basic.

Beware of 'dumping'

You should ensure your used equipment is reused responsibly and reliably.

Often, equipment such as TVs and ICT is exported with the intention of reusing it, only to be scrapped which, therefore, exploits the receiving nation. This is known as dumping.

When placing goods into secondary markets you should therefore ensure that you have clear end-markets that avoid dumping.

You can read about the responsibilities of businesses that produce waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).