Remanufactured vs. refurbished printers: what’s the difference and why does it matter?

Maximizing budgets, optimizing technology spend and reducing environmental impact are top of mind for most businesses today. For IT and procurement leaders, these and many other factors weigh into the decision-making process for selecting the best software, solutions and outsourcing partners that align with key business goals.

We’ve found that more and more of our clients are putting increased focus on their Environmental, Sustainability and Governance (ESG) priorities as they make choices about the vendors and partners with whom to align their operations. In fact, 74% of procurement leaders take sustainability performance into consideration when selecting new suppliers.¹

We continue to expand our digital services offerings and extend into our clients’ business operations, supporting a wide array of software automation and business process optimization goals. We’re also proud of our long history that started in hardware technology.

Within that space, we are continuously focused on both increasing the lifespan of our hardware while building greater functionality to digitize, automate and scale for our customers’ needs while supporting their bottom line.

One of the ways some organizations have embraced a greater focus on sustainability is by using remanufactured (and sometimes refurbished) office equipment and other hardware within their operations.

After all, reusing equipment always sounds like a smart environmental concept in theory. However, sometimes terms like “refurbished” and “remanufactured” get thrown around in business conversations with very little definition attached. 

In this article, we explore what these terms mean, the fundamental differences between refurbished and remanufactured digital imaging equipment, and why distinguishing between the two is crucial in making the right decisions for both your business operations and protecting the environment.

The difference between remanufactured and refurbished

Lots of hardware vendors talk about remanufactured and refurbished products today, but the terms can be confusing to the unacquainted — particularly since definitions have been loose, subjective, and ripe for interpretation.

Remanufactured: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines remanufactured imaging equipment as a “product that meets one of the product types defined in Section 1.A 1-8, which has been returned to a 'like-new' state of the base model, including energy performance, by the manufacturer, utilizing new and/or reused components from the original equipment manufacturer."²

Refurbished: Refurbishment can mean a lot of different things, with no standardized definition yet to be established by any authoritative body. Refurbished equipment may include unused customer returns, unwanted items donated to a business or charity, or returned products still under their warranty.

Unlike most refurbished equipment, remanufactured devices follow stringent guidelines of quality control and standardization. During this process, repairs or replacements are made to worn out or obsolete components and modules, allowing the device to be rebuilt to the standards of a new machine. This is a complete process where a technological device is restored to its original condition and meets manufacturing requirements and customer expectations the same way a new device does.

When remanufacturing, a combination of parts may be used, including reused, repaired, or brand-new elements. During this process, the engineer will use the same specifications as when originally manufactured — and the warranties on these devices will match those of a brand-new product.

On the other hand, the process of refurbishment can range from a thorough check of the product for defects to a full cleanup and rebuild of the product. Products are then tested for functionality and defects before being resold. Ultimately, refurbished devices are restored much less expensively than those which are remanufactured. Additionally, the warranties on refurbished devices are subject to the seller’s definitions — and can range anywhere from being equal to that of a new product to being non-existent.