Relevant legislation

Recreational Craft Directive 2013/53/EU

The Recreational Craft Directive aims at standardising design and manufacturing requirements, as well as regulating exhaust emissions and noise for watercraft (both recreational craft and personal watercraft) sold to or operating within the European Union and European Economic Area. The first version of the Directive (Directive 94/25/EC) was adopted by the Council and European Parliament in 1994 and amended in 2003 (Directive 2003/44/EC), also referred to as RCD, was applicable until 18 January 2017. Directive 2013/53/EC, also known as RCD 2, came into force in 18 January 2016 and has now entirely replaced RCD. In relation to exhaust emissions, the directive sets out limits on carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulates for both compression ignition and spark ignition engines. However, target values for greenhouse gas emissions including CO2 are not currently covered by the directive (Carbon Trust, 2021). This was reviewed in 2021 and you can read the final report here.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR)

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) can be defined as “an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle.” EPR is typically understood to involve a shift in responsibility (administratively, financially or physically) from governments or municipalities to producers as well as an encouragement of producers to take environmental considerations into account during the design and manufacture phases of product development. EPR seeks to achieve a reduction in the environmental impact of products, throughout their lifespan, from production through end-of-life. In the European Union, extended producer responsibility is mandatory within the context of the WEEE, Batteries, and ELV Directives, which put the responsibility for the financing of collection, recycling and responsible end-of-life disposal of WEEE, batteries, accumulators and vehicles on producers. Since January 2022 EPR has been extended IN FRANCE to cover SPORTING GOODS and therefore companies are therefore required, either individually or by collectively financing a dedicated eco-organisation, to organise the collection, sorting and treatment of the waste they produce. The cost of collection is no longer borne by the state but by the final consumer, reflected in the selling price of the products put on the market: this is called an "eco-contribution .

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive

The ‘Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive’ is a new law governing the requirements for sustainability reporting in the EU and is a significant step up from the existing and relatively limited EU sustainability reporting requirements. The law will bring sustainability reporting much closer to the discipline and fidelity of financial reporting and significantly impact which sustainability data will be published, how that will be collected, and which processes need to be in place to meet the additional requirements of the legislation. The effects will be felt both directly by organisations—inside and outside the EU—responsible for reporting under the CSRD norms and indirectly by organisations competing with them or those that are part of their value chains. Companies are expected to comply with the bill, starting with the largest listed companies for fiscal year 2024, other large companies for fiscal year 2025, and listed small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in fiscal year 2026. The CSRD is part of the broader ‘European Green Deal’ program, that so far has delivered legislation including the EU Taxonomy Regulation and the revised Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation. (Anthesis, 2022)

The Ocean Race: The Ocean Race Teams Sustainability Charter

IMOCA: Charte des équipes

World Sailing: Sustainability Agenda 2030

WWF: Organiser Charter of 15 commitments