PEP ecopassport® publishes the first methodological guide dedicated to refurbished equipment.

At its General Meeting on July 8, 2026, the PEP ecopassport® association announced the publication of a groundbreaking methodological guide for producing PEPs or EPDs for refurbished equipment.

Refurbishment: a pillar of the circular economy that remains difficult to assess
Product refurbishment is currently one of the most promising drivers of the circular economy. When done correctly, it extends the lifespan of equipment while limiting resource consumption and associated environmental impacts.
Driven by growing demand from both individual users and business clients, the market for refurbished goods is expanding rapidly. However, a problem remains: while the environmental impacts of new products are now well documented, those of refurbished products remain difficult to assess consistently and transparently due to the lack of a shared methodology.

A method developed with industry players for electrical, electronic, and HVAC equipment
To address this gap, several manufacturers belonging to PEP ecopassport® joined forces to develop a common method, formalized in this new guide.
One of the main challenges was to fairly allocate the environmental benefits and impacts associated with refurbishment operations. The chosen method accounts for both: the product that has been given a second life and the refurbished product itself, with each being credited with an impact reduction compared to a baseline scenario without refurbishment.
This approach goes beyond greenhouse gas emissions alone; it covers the full range of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) indicators, including material and resource consumption, factors often overlooked by methods focused solely on carbon.

A common framework to boost the refurbished market
The association’s ambition is clear: to enable all stakeholders across the electrical, electronic, and HVAC sectors to adopt this method, thereby fostering the development of environmental declarations for refurbished products and, more broadly, encouraging their use.
The methodology is designed to evolve progressively, product family by product family, based on the feedback collected. Ultimately, these insights could be directly integrated into PCR and PSR rules.

What project stakeholders say

“This guide, a pioneering initiative in France and Europe for this type of equipment, would not have been possible without the involvement of our industrial members, notably Vinci, Legrand, Somfy, and Eaton, as well as trade associations, particularly IGNES. They shared their experience with refurbished products, allowing us to better assess the impacts to be studied and the rules to be applied, especially regarding the substitution point. Nothing would have been possible without their commitment.” – Julien Morganti, Managing Director of P.E.P ecopassport®

“With this guide, we are meeting a dual expectation: that of the market, which wants more refurbished products, and that of our members, who sought better recognition for the value of these products. Environmental assessment is only meaningful if it takes the entire product life cycle into account. Our ambition is to offer a reliable, shared method that gives the circular economy its rightful place and supports its growth in a context where resource conservation is a strategic priority more than ever.” – Virginie Gatin, President of the P.E.P ecopassport® association

“VINCI Energies is developing and driving several reuse initiatives across the electrical and HVAC sectors, while refining its expertise to extend refurbishment to an increasing number of products and operations.” “That is why, through the User Club, we communicated to the Association our need for PEP sheets for reused equipment. We were therefore eagerly awaiting the publication of this new guide, which details the methodology for creating these sheets.” – Christian Amiot, Head of Purchasing at VINCI Energies

Guide availability
The guide was previewed to the Association’s members. It will be available online, with open access, starting in September 2026.