Effective since February 24, 2022, the EPR scheme for DIY and gardening articles (ABJ) stands out as one of the most complex schemes stemming from the AGEC law, due to the great heterogeneity of the products and stakeholders it encompasses. Its scope covers four product families (painter’s tools, thermal machines, DIY equipment, and garden equipment) and its governance relies on two approved eco-organizations, Ecomaison and Valobat. If your business is subject to this regulation, mastering the inclusion criteria, collection obligations, and current eco-contribution scales is a compliance issue you cannot ignore.
The DIY/gardening EPR: a broad scope structured into four product families
Numerous stakeholders facing a heterogeneous deposit
Operational since February 24, 2022, the ABJ EPR scheme is one of the most heterogeneous among the existing EPR schemes. Its scope, defined by the decree of September 22, 2021, covers four product families:
- painter’s tools;
- thermal machines and motorized devices;
- DIY equipment including hand tools;
- products and equipment intended for garden maintenance and landscaping.
Note that a producer is considered any natural or legal person who manufactures, assembles, imports, or introduces these items to the national market, including resellers who market them under their own brand.
The boundary areas to master for multi-product market players
The ABJ scheme is based on a product-based liability logic rather than destination: only the intrinsic characteristics of the product determine its inclusion, regardless of the distribution channel or the profile of the final customer. In practice, this rule subjects to the scope the tools intended for major and minor construction sites as well as professional green space equipment.
However, hardware, masonry arrangements, and products designed exclusively for industrial use are explicitly excluded. These boundary areas generate real declarative uncertainties for multi-product companies subject to the DIY articles EPR, which must arbitrate on a case-by-case basis according to the criteria published jointly by the approved eco-organizations in an updated scope note in 2025.
A governance by two eco-organizations coordinated by the OCABJ
Ecomaison, Valobat, and the need for a coordinating body
The DIY gardening EPR scheme is unique in being operated by two approved eco-organizations on the same product categories, necessitating the creation of a dedicated coordination mechanism. The Ecomaison ABJ eco-organization was the first approved for families 3 and 4 in April 2022, before Valobat obtained approval for these same categories in December 2023, leveraging its position as a multi-EPR player already present in the building and furniture sectors. To organize their coexistence and distribute obligations without creating operational duplicates, a dedicated coordinating body, the OCABJ, was officially approved by decree in October 2024.
The calculation of eco-contributions and modulation by eco-design
The DIY EPR eco-contributions paid by producers are based on two main parameters:
- the specific costs for each product type
- the recycling costs determined by the material composition
Modulations refine this calculation, with bonuses for the incorporation of recycled materials and specific provisions related to the sustainable management of wood, which represents a significant fraction of the garden deposit. The scales are regularly updated to support the scheme’s ramp-up: Ecomaison thus revised its rates from January 1, 2025, with the aim of reaching the collection target of nearly 90,000 tons set for 2027.
Reuse and repair at the heart of the DIY EPR scheme’s ambitions
A progressively deploying collection network among distributors
The obligation to take back in-store has applied to DIY and gardening articles since January 1, 2023, complementing the network of public waste collection centers as the main entry point for the deposit. To facilitate the collection of small products, dedicated pallet boxes have been massively deployed in distributor circuits, with more than 15,000 units installed in 2023 among 900 distributors, 1,400 public waste collection centers, and 40 professional waste collection centers. The regulatory objective by 2027 is to establish a network of over 6,000 EPR collection points for garden articles across the national territory, a level of ambition that justifies recent tariff revisions of eco-contribution scales.
Repair and reuse as differentiation levers for the scheme
The ABJ scheme is distinguished by the central role given to repair, funded through a dedicated fund created in December 2021, well before other EPR schemes adopted such a measure. Networks of certified repairers have been established to meet demands for sharpening cutting tools, repairing parasols or barbecues, while social and solidarity economy structures are actively mobilized to develop a reuse offer for end-of-life tools and equipment. Producers are also subject to a requirement to display environmental information on their products, mentioning the rate of incorporation of recycled materials, recyclability, and the possible presence of hazardous substances as defined by the REACH regulation.
