Yachting and boating - APER, the eco-organisation responsible in France for managing the dismantling of pleasure craft, whether sailboats, motorboats or RIBs, has just had its approval renewed for a further 5 years. Good news for the industry, and the only one of its kind in Europe!

The "APER" (Association for Eco-Responsible Yachting), an eco-organisation created at the initiative of the "FIN" (French Nautical Industries Federation), has just received approval from the various ministries concerned for a new approval period. It will therefore continue to organise and manage the dismantling and recycling of end-of-life pleasure boats until 2029.

APER was approved for the first time in 2019 to manage this 1st and only sector in the world. During its first approval period, APER dismantled around 11,000 boats in France, and the system put in place by France is widely acclaimed by its European neighbours.

The eco-organisation, which has around a hundred members (accounting for around 90% of the volumes placed on the French market), achieves a recovery) achieves a 73% waste recovery rate thanks to its network of 35 approved treatment centres for dismantling end-of-life boats.

The next few years will be devoted to consolidating the activities of APER, whose objectives will be reviewed each year with government departments on the basis of various factors (actual demand, new boat market, economic balance sheet, etc.).

Among the tasks awaiting the eco-organisation during this second period of approval are strengthening the network in mainland France and the French overseas departments and territories (Martinique and Guadeloupe already have their own processing centres),

Financial support for yachtsmen to help with transport costs,
incorporating environmental criteria into the eco-tax scale
the launch of studies into recovery, re-use and recycling.

How to have a boat dismantled: how much does it cost the owner?

APER offers all types of applicants (private individuals, professionals, local authorities, etc.) the opportunity to have their end-of-life pleasure boats dismantled, recycled and recovered free of charge.

Free dismantling is guaranteed by two sources of funding for APER:

A compulsory eco-contribution, collected from its members (the marketers) on each sale of new boats in France.

This is supplemented by a share of the annual tax on personal watercraft (TAEMUP), paid by the government to the eco-organisation.