consumedused

Consumedused is a term used in discussions of resource life cycles and the circular economy to describe a state in which an item has fulfilled its primary use and has been consumed in that sense, yet still retains value for secondary uses or material recovery. It combines the ideas of consumption (use of contents or energy) and usage (ongoing utility of the item’s form or materials) to emphasize that value can persist beyond initial function.

In practice, consumedused can apply to both physical products and materials. For physical goods, it may describe items that have been emptied, used, or spent for their original purpose but remain suitable for reuse, refurbishment, or remanufacturing. Examples include a glass bottle that has been emptied but can be refilled or repurposed, a worn garment still usable for patches or upcycling, or metal scrap derived from a used product that can be remanufactured into new goods. In materials accounting, consumedused highlights post-consumer materials that continue to contribute value through recycling or remanufacturing streams.

The term also appears in discussions of data and digital content, where it can denote data or media that has been accessed (consumed) and then repurposed or redistributed for new uses.

Critics note that consumedused is not yet standardized, and its meaning can vary by context. Clear definitions and metrics are needed to compare its implications for waste reduction and resource efficiency.

See also: circular economy, reuse, remanufacturing, post-consumer materials.