The DOI matches its Crossref record; 108 of the 110 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Environmental Impacts of Reuse: A Review
Abstract
Summary: The fear that human consumption is causing climate change, biodiversity loss, and mineral scarcity has recently prompted interest in reuse because of the intuitive belief that it reduces new production and waste. The environmental impacts of reuse have, however, received little attention—the benefits typically assumed rather than understood—and consequently the overall effects remain unclear. In this article, we structure the current work on the topic, reviewing the potential benefits and pitfalls described in the literature and providing a framework for future research. Many products’ use‐phase energy requirements are decreasing. The relative importance of the embodied impacts from initial production is therefore growing and the prominence of reuse as an abatement strategy is likely to increase in the future. Many examples are found in the literature of beneficial reuse of standardized, unpowered products and components, and repairing an item is always found to be less energy intensive than new production. However, reusing a product does not guarantee an environmental benefit. Attention must be paid to restoring and upgrading old product efficiencies, minimizing overspecification in the new application, and considering whether more efficient, new products exist that would be more suitable. Cheap, reused goods can allow many consumers access to products they would otherwise have been unable to afford. Though socially valuable, these sales, which may help minimize landfill in the short term, can represent additional consumption rather than a net environmental benefit compared to the status quo.
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In the citing paper
“Structural steel has a particular propensity for reuse considering its maintained capacity over time (durability), potential for reversible connections (e.g., bolted connections), maturity as a technology and high level of standardization, and modularity, all of which have been identified as enabling factors for reuse (Lee et al. 2024;Cooper and Gutowski 2017).”
From Reusing Heavy-Section Steel in Buildings: Carbon Reduction Potential and Material Availability (2025) · cites this paper as Cooper and Gutowski 2017
In the citing paper
“lifetime extension is only valid when the avoided impacts from production, e.g., energy use and the subsequent reduction in impact upstream such as raw material extraction and transportation, are lower than the impacts from producing more durable components or treating the returned product to extend its lifetime [20,26].”
From Is Prolonging the Lifetime of Passive Durable Products a Low-Hanging Fruit of a Circular Economy? A Multiple Case Study (2019) · cites this paper as [20]
In the citing paper
“Passive durable products, however, hold a larger and more consistent potential for environmental improvement because their environmental impact is dominated by the production phase, usually the production of materials, while their physical lifetime is not fully exploited [20].”
From Is Prolonging the Lifetime of Passive Durable Products a Low-Hanging Fruit of a Circular Economy? A Multiple Case Study (2019) · cites this paper as [20]
In the citing paper
“Passive durable products, however, hold a larger and more consistent potential for environmental improvement because their environmental impact is dominated by the production phase, usually the production of materials, while their physical lifetime is not fully exploited [20].”
From Is Prolonging the Lifetime of Passive Durable Products a Low-Hanging Fruit of a Circular Economy? A Multiple Case Study (2019) · cites this paper as [20]
In the citing paper
“the extension of the lifetime of passive durable products, i.e., products that do not consume energy or materials during the use phase, has been found by researchers to have high potential [18][19][20].”
From Is Prolonging the Lifetime of Passive Durable Products a Low-Hanging Fruit of a Circular Economy? A Multiple Case Study (2019) · cites this paper as [20]
In the citing paper
“Passive durable products, however, hold a larger and more consistent potential for environmental improvement because their environmental impact is dominated by the production phase, usually the production of materials, while their physical lifetime is not fully exploited [20].”
From Is Prolonging the Lifetime of Passive Durable Products a Low-Hanging Fruit of a Circular Economy? A Multiple Case Study (2019) · cites this paper as [20]
In the citing paper
“Estimates for remanufacturing savings of EEE range from 50%-80% when the use phase is excluded [19].”
From Material efficiency strategies to reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with buildings, vehicles, and electronics—a review (2019) · cites this paper as [19]
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“Similarly, depending on the proximity of supply and demand, repurposing components of obsolete infrastructure can generate freight transport that may surpass the emission savings from material reuse (Cooper & Gutowski, 2017; Wang et al., 2023).”
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“More broadly, reuse is effective because it preserves intended function and avoids conversion losses in materials and energy, especially when only minimal repair or modification is needed (Cooper & Gutowski, 2017; Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey, 2015).”
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“These effects are typically not represented in embodied carbon assessments, which commonly assume functional equivalence between reused elements and newly optimised steelwork, without explicit consideration of how effectively structural demand is met per unit mass of steel [12,13].”
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Nazemi, M., Zhang, Q., & Choi, J. (2026) · Journal of Management in Engineering · doi:10.1061/jmenea.meeng-7625
Transition towards remanufacturing of electric vehicle transmission parts
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Metadata
- Authors
- Cooper, D. R., & Gutowski, T. G.
- Affiliations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- Corresponding author
- Cooper, Daniel R.
- Venue
- Journal of Industrial Ecology
- Published
- 2015-12-28
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 38-56
- ISSN
- 1088-1980 (ISSN-L)
- 1530-9290
- OpenAlex
- W2216148103
- Cited by
- 337
- References
- 110
- Citations by year
- 2026: 28 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 41 · 2022: 33 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 38.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Industrial Ecology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Sustainable Design and Development
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Keywords
- reuse, embodied energy, product repair, product upgrading, overspecification, waste reduction, climate change mitigation, biodiversity loss, mineral scarcity, circular economy
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