Preparing-for-reuse indicators (PRR)

Preparing-for-reuse indicators (often abbreviated PRR, from the Spanish preparacion para la reutilizacion) are metrics designed to measure how far a waste stream can be refurbished, repaired and reintroduced into use before becoming final waste. They are a key tool in the circular economy because they quantify the real capacity to extend the useful life of products, components and materials, avoiding resource extraction and reducing the generation of waste.

As policy moves towards more sustainable models and stricter requirements, such as Directive (EU) 2018/851 amending the Waste Framework Directive, Spanish Law 7/2022 on waste and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), reuse takes on a strategic role, and these indicators allow its effectiveness to be measured with precision, transparency and technical rigour.

Regulatory framework and European context

Preparing for reuse sits near the top of the waste hierarchy, immediately after prevention and ahead of recycling, recovery and disposal. Its importance is set out in:

• The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC, as amended in 2018 by Directive (EU) 2018/851.
• The ESPR (2024) on sustainable product design.
• The European Circular Economy Strategy.
• Spanish Law 7/2022 on waste and contaminated soil, which sets quantifiable reuse targets.

Preparing-for-reuse indicators are among the tools needed to meet these objectives and to demonstrate progress at municipal, regional, national and corporate level.

What 'preparing for reuse' means

Under the Waste Framework Directive, preparing for reuse is defined as the checking, cleaning or repairing operations by which products or components that have become waste are prepared so that they can be reused without any other pre-processing. Only materials that, after a verifiable technical process, can return to the market as functional products count towards this figure.

Scope of application

Preparing-for-reuse indicators are used for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), textiles and footwear, furniture and household goods, reusable packaging, recoverable industrial components and bulky municipal waste. Sectors with growing impact, such as automotive, construction and electronics, are integrating preparation for reuse into their advanced circularity models.

Types of indicator

Waste-stream level

The fraction of a waste stream that can be refurbished and returned to the market. This is the basic indicator required by EU rules.

Operational efficiency

The performance of preparation-for-reuse centres and operators: repair rate, average refurbishment time, the share of items found fit for reuse versus discarded, and cost per recovered unit.

Quality of the prepared product

Estimated remaining service life, the warranty offered after refurbishment, and the rate of returns or failures among end customers.

Impact-linked indicators

Metrics that connect reuse with environmental and social outcomes: virgin materials avoided (kg), avoided emissions (kg CO₂e), waste diverted from landfill (kg) and people employed in refurbishment. These are especially valued in ESG reporting, environmental audits and green finance.

Which processes count

Preparing for reuse only counts products that have undergone technical inspection and diagnosis, deep cleaning and decontamination, repair or replacement of components, functionality and safety testing, and relabelling, documentation and certification. It does not include collection and sorting, selecting materials for recycling, or shredding and disassembly without refurbishment.

Centres and operators

Preparation-for-reuse centres can be publicly owned (civic amenity sites, municipal workshops), private (reverse-logistics and repair companies) or social (third-sector organisations that create green jobs). They need qualified staff, standardised procedures, digital records and traceability, verifiable reporting, and liability insurance with minimum guarantees.

Indicators within extended producer responsibility

Extended producer responsibility schemes are required to set reuse targets and report preparing-for-reuse indicators each year to the competent authorities. Obligated sectors with high reuse potential include WEEE (lamps, televisions, computers), reusable packaging, textiles, furniture and bulky products, and end-of-life vehicles. The EU is reinforcing these requirements through the ESPR and forthcoming rules on digital product passports.

Calculation methods

Indicators should be based on certified weighing, digital traceability systems, batch-level input and output records, functionality and safety certifications and periodic external audits. They are commonly integrated with ISO standards such as ISO 14020 to 14025 on environmental labelling, ISO 14040/44 on life-cycle assessment and ISO 14064 on greenhouse gas accounting.

Why it matters in the circular economy

Preparing-for-reuse indicators are important because they reduce demand for virgin materials, lower the life-cycle carbon footprint, shift consumption towards recovered products, increase industrial resilience to raw-material crises and support new business models based on repair and reuse. For many products, reuse avoids more environmental impact than recycling because it keeps the product intact and skips energy-intensive reprocessing, although the exact saving depends on the product and how many additional service cycles are achieved.

Social and economic benefits

• Jobs in repair, logistics and refurbishment.
• Inclusion of vulnerable groups through third-sector organisations.
• Lower costs for local authorities.
• Affordable goods for consumers.
• Growth of refurbished-product markets.

Innovations and current limitations

Modular ecodesign, digitalised reverse-logistics platforms, digital twins for remote diagnosis, blockchain for a complete product history (linked to the digital product passport) and leasing or product-as-a-service models all help raise the share of products prepared for reuse. The main constraints are limited standardisation between territories, insufficient quality of collected waste, difficult access to spare parts (an area the Right to Repair Directive aims to improve) and economic incentives that are still weak compared with buying new products.

At Manglai we help companies measure their carbon footprint and prepare their sustainability reporting, including circular-economy and reuse indicators required under EU rules. Discover how Manglai can help you.