A Wall Street Journal article (January 24, 2011, A3) describes efforts by US manufacturers to press for changes in laws in China, Japan and Brazil that ban or restrict the import of used medical equipment. Manufacturers claim that rising commodity prices and state level legislation requiring takeback has made remanufactured goods less expensive  and thus capable of satisfying demand at lower price points.  The article claims that such trade will enable job creation in the US, with an estimated market size of $ 100 billion and employing around 500,000 people.  Are global rules regarding remanufactured products a bad idea or a risk that countries can choose to avoid ? Will the use of remanufactured products to offer products at different price points make US manufacturers more globally competitive ?