APER soon to be an approved eco-organization
Several decrees were published in 2018 paving the way for the implementation of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) channel for dismantling end-of-life pleasure boats (ELPBs). They provide for the organization of the process around an approved eco-organization, in charge of collecting contributions from organizations selling boats in France. APER, Association pour la Plaisance Eco-Responsable, created at the initiative of the Federation of Nautical Industries (FIN) for voluntary dismantling in the 2000s, should be awarded the approval by the end of January 2019 indicated Guillaume Arnauld des Lions, in charge of the file at the FIN during Nautic 2018. " The decrees have been signed. All that is missing is the publication of the specifications for approval. For its part, APER has already validated everything in its Board of Directors and General Assembly: its 2019 budget, the eco-tax scale and the specifications for the call for tenders for deconstruction. "
A call for tenders from recycling specialists
The next step for APER is the selection of operators specialized in waste management and recovery to deconstruct the vessels on all the French coastlines. The specifications for this private call for tenders have already been published and sent out to enable the selection of the successful candidates as quickly as possible. " The specifications are 50 pages long and the technical aspects predominate over the price. These are departmental lots. The objective is to have the system operational in April 2019. "says Guillaume Arnauld des Lions.
An evolving eco-contribution scale
The first scale of eco-contribution paid by marketers to APER for all their new boats sold has been set for 2019 and 2020. " It is a flat rate per size and type of boat: sail or motor, number of hulls... At the end of the second year, in 2020, we plan to introduce an eco-modulation based on the type of manufacture, the material used, etc. To do this, we will resume the work we started in 2008-2010 on a tool to analyze the life cycle of boats. "explains Guillaume Arnauld of Lions.
Raising awareness among boaters and small nautical actors
While the major yachting manufacturers are aware of the EPR system, not all yachting professionals are. " We now have to go and get them to join APER. It is free, they only pay the eco-contribution corresponding to the sales of boats. We provide them with a guide to dismantling. "
The work of raising awareness among boaters also began at Nautic 2018. The APER website is online explaining the future steps to have your boat deconstructed free of charge (excluding transportation costs).
