A September 23 European Rubber Journal staff reports that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) will issue a study entitled, “Remanufactured Goods:  An Overview of the U.S. and Global Industries, Markets, and Trade.” The report will be issued on October 28. The study is being prepared at the request of US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

In a 28 June letter to the ITC, Kirk remarked, “American consumers and businesses purchase remanufactured products and use them in their daily activities, as they know that such products provide high-end performance at lower cost. Remanufacturing also provides significant environmental benefits, since it uses less material, energy and water than manufacturing goods from virgin material… I believe that additional data collection and analysis will help manufacturers…in growing their companies, accessing foreign markets and responding to increasing resource scarcity.”

The study will cover the years 2009-2011 and cover the size and scope of remanufacturing in the US; the US market for remanufactured goods; US exports of remanufactured goods by sector and destination; and the factors affecting sales, trade and investment in US remanufactured goods.