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Setting out commitments all the way through to decommissioning

To reduce our environmental impact, we embrace our commitments all the way through to the end of our boats’ lives, alongside players from our decommissioning channel.

Understanding the impacts of each model

In 2023, we continued working to map the CO2 emissions relating to our products. The life cycle assessment of our various boats is like a compass guiding our decisions for increasingly sustainable innovation. It enables us to build more in-depth understanding of the impacts of a model and different uses with a view to identifying relevant solutions.

Bringing our boats back to life

Composite Recycling is a startup that is working to recycle composites when boats reach the end of their life. In 2023, we made a joint investment in this structure with our partner Chomarat. With an approach focused on research and development, we supply it with materials to conduct tests for reintegrating composite fibers into our production processes. Our technical teams are working closely with the teams from both Composite Recycling and Chomarat.

Focus on harmonization

To enable the French recreational boat decommissioning sector to be as sustainable as possible, all the stakeholders within the boat industry have a role to play. And we take our role very seriously. We are working alongside the APER and the Fédération des Industries Nautiques to ensure that the end of a boat’s life is looked into from the moment it is launched on the market. With them, we are working to promote the emergence of European legislation concerning the extended responsibility of boat producers and the management of their end of life in all Union countries.

We want to offer a European future for our channel.

Ivana Lazarevic
General Delegate of APER

74%

of all boat components are recovered

10,000

boats decommissioned since 2019

The only eco-organization in the world dedicated to the end of life of recreational boats, the APER - association for environmentally responsible recreational boating - has been working with the boat industries since 2019. In 2023, alongside its Chief Executive, Ivana Lazarevic, Groupe Beneteau continued building on its commitment to the future of this channel.

Who are you Ivana Lazarevic?

I have been the APER’s Chief Executive since January 1, 2023. My mission is to continue moving forward with the deployment of our French decommissioning sector for recreational boats at the end of their lives.

What is an end-of-life boat?

It is a boat with an average age of 40 to 50 years that no longer has any residual resale value. It is considered to be beyond repair and can no longer be used on the water, and its owner wants to get rid of it, but cannot find a buyer. The total figure is difficult to estimate because we are talking about boats that have built up over time.

How do you work with Groupe Beneteau?

Since 2019, any company that builds or sells recreational boats has a regulatory obligation (Extended Producer Responsibility) to be part of a dedicated eco-organization. Groupe Beneteau has chosen to centralize its decommissioning approach with the APER. Among other aspects, it contributes to the sharing of R&D initiatives for this sector, like any other organization can do. And it wanted to go even further to be involved in the discussions, positioning itself as APER President. We are working together and with other stakeholders to find new composite recycling solutions, maximize the materials recovered from boats, expand the network and help educate clients. We are also working on the management of transport and logistics flows: essential for ensuring the transition to sustainable boating.

What are the challenges for this sector today?

Our sector is gaining recognition as a European model to be followed, and its long-term viability is crucial for ensuring that it continues to be virtuous. We need to align the market stakeholders, the Federation, the eco-organization and the public authorities. With Erwan Faoucher, Groupe Beneteau CSR Innovation & Research Director and APER President, we will continue to drive dialogue forward at European level. The outlook is optimistic.

It offers a solution for owners who do not know what to do with their recreational boats that are at the end of their lives, and thanks to the eco-contribution included in the sales price for new boats, the organizations bringing products to the market fund the decommissioning of old boats and ensure that the boats released on the market today will be covered by the sector when they reach the end of their life.