A Preliminary Study of Technical Feasibility for Mobile Phone Remanufacturing in Indonesia

Abstract

Remanufacturing is an important element in making sustainable production and consumption in our society. Unfortunately, remanufacturing is not well-developed in Indonesia yet, especially compared to developed countries. To start a remanufacturing process, it is necessary to know the feasibility technically, economically and environmentally. This paper aims to find out whether the remanufacturing of mobile phones is technically feasible to be done in Indonesia. Mobile phone is chosen because it is one of the biggest e-waste takers lately. Four mobile phone brands are selected for this purpose. The method used in this research was a qualitative survey, which was conducted at the service center of each brand. From this research we find some barriers and facilitators in the remanufacturing implementation. In addition, we propose some attributes in every step of the remanufacturing process. It can be concluded that technically, remanufacturing of mobile phones in Indonesia can be implemented. There are notable processes in every step of remanufacturing that affect the feasibility of mobile phone remanufacturing, such as the selection of phone types and the meticulousness in every step to avoid damage during the remanufacturing process.