Refit Targets
The Roadmap 2050
The Roadmap 2050: Refit targets
Approximately two-thirds of today’s yacht fleet was built in the last 25 years, meaning a growing wave of vessels is reaching the age where significant refits are needed. As the fleet grows, so does the refit sector and with it, the environmental impact of those yards.
What are we targeting?
The Refit Targets focus on reducing energy use, waste, and water consumption at refit yards to net-zero by 2050. But refit comes with its own specific challenges that new builds don’t face.
Refit yards generate more hazardous waste than shipyards working on new builds, and for vessels built before 2000, that includes legacy materials such as asbestos, lead paint, and PCBs, all of which require specialist handling and disposal. Old components need to be removed, catalogued, and either responsibly recycled or safely disposed of, a process that is only as clean as the original design allowed.
This is where Design for Disassembly (DfD) becomes critical. How a yacht was originally designed and built has a direct effect on how easily and cleanly it can be refitted later. Yachts designed with DfD principles in mind are easier to strip, more likely to yield reusable components, and generate less hazardous waste at the refit stage. It is a clear example of why the Roadmap treats the full life cycle as a single connected system, not a series of independent stages and why the Design Targets and Refit Targets are deliberately aligned.
The targets at a glance
By 2025, the 10 largest refit yards will begin tracking and submitting annual data. Given that refit scope varies significantly between vessels, KPIs will be normalised per refit-week or per m² of yard floor area, rather than per yacht GT. Reduction targets for energy, waste, and water then step up every five years, with net-zero by 2050.
The collective path forward
The Foundation works closely with refit companies to define the right data, KPIs, and monitoring systems. Refit yards committed to a more sustainable future are warmly invited to get involved.
Refit reduce actions
The 10 largest refit yards begin tracking and submitting annual data across a minimum KPI set: energy consumption (kWh per refit-week and per m² yard floor), water use (m³ per refit-week), and waste generation (kg per refit-week, split between hazardous and non-hazardous), plus percentage of renewable electricity used.
The energy consumption (kWh per refit-week and per m² yard floor) is −30%, water use (m³ per refit-week) is −20%, and waste generation (kg per refit-week, split between hazardous and non-hazardous) is −20%, plus percentage of renewable electricity used.
The energy consumption (kWh per refit-week and per m² yard floor) is −53%, water use (m³ per refit-week) is −40%, and waste generation (kg per refit-week, split between hazardous and non-hazardous) is −40%, plus percentage of renewable electricity used.
The energy consumption (kWh per refit-week and per m² yard floor) is −72%, water use (m³ per refit-week) is −60%, and waste generation (kg per refit-week, split between hazardous and non-hazardous) is −60%, plus percentage of renewable electricity used.
The energy consumption (kWh per refit-week and per m² yard floor) is −87%, water use (m³ per refit-week) is −80%, and waste generation (kg per refit-week, split between hazardous and non-hazardous) is −80%, plus percentage of renewable electricity used.
Net-zero across energy, waste, and water, measured relative to the 2025 baseline year, after recycling, reuse, and verified hazardous waste treatment credits are applied.