Reuse Funds and Repair Funds

21 July 2023

The role of eco-organizations in the national waste prevention plan

As part of the law of February 10, 2020 on the fight against waste and for a circular economy, known as the AGEC law, the operation of extended producer responsibility has been profoundly modified. Eco-organizations thus have new missions and objectives in order to contribute to national waste prevention, which is based on five axes:

Axis 1 - Integrating waste prevention from the design of products and services
Axis 2 - Extend the useful life of products by promoting their maintenance and repair
Axis 3 - Development of reuse and reuse
Axis 4 - Fight against wastage and reduce waste
Axis 5 - Engage public actors in waste prevention initiatives

It is in this context that the eco-organisations of the EPR sectors concerned have set up reuse funds and repair funds.

Reparation fund

The repair allows the consumers to extend the life of their product instead of replacing an object that is still usable with a new object. It is therefore a powerful lever for reducing waste, yet it is rarely used because of the cost of a repair that is often too high compared to the purchase of a new product.

EPR sectors who set up reparations funds:

• From 2022: the electrical and electronic equipment, toys, sports and leisure items and DIY and garden items
• From 2023: the textile and footwear sector, and the furniture 

The repair fund is based on the labeling of repairers. A consumer who uses a certified repairer will be able to benefit from this fund, i.e. a bonus to help him pay for the repair of his property. It has been in place since the end of 2022 for electrical and electronic devices and will be in place for textiles by October 2023. This fund will thus make it more interesting for consumers to repair their product instead of buying a new one. 

Funds dedicated to reuse and reuse

Reuse allows a product to be taken out of waste status in order to give it a second life. Since 2023, several EPR sectors have set up a reuse fund, to meet the challenges of axis 3 of the national waste prevention plan:

• Furniture sector
• Electrical and electronic sector
• Sector of toys and sports and leisure items sector
• Sector of clothing textile products, footwear, and household linen sector
• Do-it-yourself and garden items sector
• Packaging sector

Each PRO must allocate at least 5% of the contributions received must be to reuse funds. They must also organize the provision of used products taken back by distributors to reuse and reuse players and associations in the sectors concerned by a reuse objective.

A note about the author:
Anne-Sophie Quinquis
Chemical and environmental Engineer 
TÜV SÜD France