In the process of refurbishing, a product is 'revived' and used for its primary use or an alternative use (repurpose). Refurbished products are inferior to the primary products. Refurbishing extends the life of a product, but old or obsolete parts are often discarded and eventually, the whole product will require discarding as well.

For example, the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles can be refurbished and repurposed when they suffer degradation of their battery capacity to develop secondary stationary storage applications. Refurbishing batteries offer a cost-effective alternative to manufacturing newer batteries as shown in the figure.