The eco-efficiency of reuse centres critically explored – the washing machine case
Year: 2009
Type: article
Abstract: By repairing and reselling used products, reuse centres aim at creating low-skill jobs while offering low-cost and environmentally beneficial products. However, due to a combination of decreased efficiency of worn-out products and technological progress embodied in new products, lifetime extension of old products is not always the most beneficial scenario from an environmental nor an economic point of view. This paper investigates this trade-off for the case of washing machines in a Belgian context. For selected types of washing machines, critical reuse ages are determined above which reuse is environmentally or economically undesirable. A sensitivity analysis shows that these critical reuse ages are often sensitive to small changes of the input parameters.
Institution: KU Leuven
Language: English
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1966859064