CHANTILLY, Va. – Millions of people around the world will be celebrating the 41st anniversary of Earth Day on Friday, April 22. The idea behind the day – honoring the planet and all living things that inhabit it – continues to inspire communities in their efforts to make positive strides toward protecting the environment.

Buying remanufactured automotive and truck parts is something everyone can do in their effort to live a greener lifestyle. The Automotive Parts Remanufacturers Association (APRA) encourages consumers to take advantage of the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing remanufactured parts – it’s a decision that leaves money in the bank today and a better world for tomorrow, the association points out.

Remanufactured automotive and truck parts save both energy and material resources by taking old parts that have entered the waste stream and restoring them to like new performance. By extending product life, remanufacturing saves 85 percent of the energy that went into manufacturing the original product, as well as saving the labor and capital costs that are associated with a new product.

Another plus of remanufacturing, APRA says, is that it eliminates any additional greenhouse gas emissions that may occur when new parts are made, further preserves landfill space and reduces the consumption of precious natural resources like steel, copper, zinc, aluminum and other metals.

A recent study by the University of Bayreuth in Germany not only found that remanufacturing is three times more environmentally beneficial than new manufacturing, but it also generates full product quality at half the price of new.