Let’s look forward to the day we don’t talk about the circular economy – but just the ‘economy’

Back in the late 1990s, at the start of the online revolution, a new job title appeared in many different businesses: ‘Director of internet’. It was an exciting time, when it seemed that new frontiers were being crossed – but one colleague offered this thought. As a title, he said, having a ‘Director of internet’ in a company would one day make about as much sense as employing a ‘Director of electricity’. In other words, it would become meaningless. He was right, of course.

The online world is now an embedded part of daily life: everyone is their own ‘Director of internet’. In this issue of ReMaTecNews, John Chalifoux makes a similar point when talking about MERA’s Manufactured Again Certification programme. Just as e-business is simply ‘business’ in today’s connected world, he writes, the circular economy will one day be the ‘economy,’ and remanufacturing will be ‘manufacturing.’ It is an inspiring thought – and someone else who is working towards that day is Ellen MacArthur. No-one has done more to bring remanufacturing to the attention of policy makers around the world and we’re delighted that she made the time to talk to us. As you will read, she sees reman as central to the circular economy – or the ‘economy’. Her personal journey has already been extraordinary, but her interview suggests she sees much more to come. Of course, making an effective argument – as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation successfully does - is only possible through having the right facts and figures at our fingertips. A new report by Germany’s Centre for Resource Efficiency provides just that, giving a clear picture of the savings in energy, resources and price for reman products. At www.rematec.com you can find out more about the research.

Elsewhere in this issue, our report from the World Remanufacturing Summit in Singapore gives you a flavour of the fascinating presentations that were on offer there. Sincere thanks go to the organiser, ARTC, for helping us put the report together. Finally, turbocharger reman faces many issues as technology and legislation change: we explore some of the most pressing in our cover story. But as ever, we want to know what you think. What is bugging you? What should we be covering that we are not? How can we improve the content that we offerContact me at editorial@rematecnews.com with your thoughts.

Contributors in this issue: John Chalifoux, Martyn Howorth, Daniel Koehler, Ulrike Lange, Tim Maughan, Volker Schittenhelm, Eddie Tan Zhi’En