Remanufacturing is the process of returning a product or component to a state of quality equivalent or superior to that of the original product. After the product is discarded by its user and picked up by the remanufacturer, a diagnosis establishes if the product is suitable for a remanufacturing process. Next, after the disassembly, a thorough inspection is done of each component. Damaged pieces are repaired, and parts that are operational but could fail in the short term are repaired or replaced. After an aesthetic renovation to make the product look ‘like new’, there may be an update phase to improve the performance of the product with respect to the original. Finally, the product is reassembled and tested to ensure its performance is at least as good as the original product.

Product design plays a significant role in determining the ease with which a product can be remanufactured. The product should be carefully designed to ensure the recovery is as efficient and profitable as possible. These are the ecodesign strategies that optimise product remanufacturing:
Design for maintenance and repair: use parts that can be easily and separately replaced, enable easy access to parts that may break down or need maintenance, and provide information for correct maintenance and repair.
Design for durability: use durable materials and finishes, employ technology whose operation is stable or not likely to change in the short-medium term, and use a solid structure.
Design for disassembly: minimise the number of parts/components, use connections that allow easy exchange of parts, provide information for correct disassembly, and design the product taking into account the tools that are going to be needed.
Design for standardisation: ensure stability over time in the prescription of standard components, unify the type of joints, and make accessories, spare parts, connectors and consumables compatible for different products of the same family.
Design for diagnosis: enable access to useful information about the life of the product that allows traceability, develop and implement formats that facilitate the diagnosis, and develop and continuously improve the technical knowledge of the people in charge of the diagnosis and the subsequent process of revalorisation.
Design for cleaning: use materials and adapt the structure of the product to facilitate cleaning, and design the product taking into account the cleaning tools that will be needed.
Design for aesthetic renovation: use smooth surfaces to prevent the accumulation of dirt and facilitate cleaning, avoid corners and cavities that are not accessible, and use materials which are resistant to repeated processes of washing, polishing, painting, etc.
Design for thorough inspection: make lists of components with a higher failure rate and their location, define the difference between the normal state of the product and the state before failure, and facilitate remote inspection whenever possible.
Design for update: standardise the pieces and closures (size/shape) between product lines and over time to facilitate exchange or replacement, promote ease of access to parts that may become obsolete, and provide information for a correct update.
Design for modularity: subdivide the product into smaller functional parts.