diff --git a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp13-dvk.conf b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp13-dvk.conf
index 3faa3c3d2..99a9352e3 100644
--- a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp13-dvk.conf
+++ b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp13-dvk.conf
@@ -166,12 +166,6 @@ DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " initrd "
 # add support to pulseaudio
 DISTRO_FEATURES:append = "pulseaudio"
 
-# Disabling sysvinit
-DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED += "sysvinit"
-
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager ?= "systemd"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts ?= "initscripts"
-
 # Disable use of vendorfs partition
 ST_VENDORFS = "0"
 
diff --git a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp15-dvk.conf b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp15-dvk.conf
index 0553f3a69..1daf35bfd 100644
--- a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp15-dvk.conf
+++ b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/ccmp15-dvk.conf
@@ -176,12 +176,6 @@ DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " initrd "
 # add support to pulseaudio
 DISTRO_FEATURES:append = "pulseaudio"
 
-# Disabling sysvinit
-DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED += "sysvinit"
-
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager ?= "systemd"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts ?= "initscripts"
-
 # Disable use of vendorfs partition
 ST_VENDORFS = "0"
 
diff --git a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx6ul.inc b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx6ul.inc
index 961298911..c0bcd782f 100644
--- a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx6ul.inc
+++ b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx6ul.inc
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ MACHINEOVERRIDES =. "mx6:mx6ul:${DIGI_FAMILY}:"
 include conf/machine/include/imx-digi-base.inc
 include conf/machine/include/arm/armv7a/tune-cortexa7.inc
 
+# Override default init manager from distro config
+INIT_MANAGER ?= "sysvinit"
+
 # Platform u-boot settings
 UBOOT_PREFIX = "u-boot"
 UBOOT_SUFFIX = "imx"
diff --git a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8m.inc b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8m.inc
index 843e919a9..aed474ebe 100644
--- a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8m.inc
+++ b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8m.inc
@@ -53,16 +53,12 @@ MACHINE_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS += " \
 
 MACHINE_FEATURES += "accel-graphics wifi bluetooth cryptochip mca optee"
 
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager ?= "systemd"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts ?= "initscripts"
-
 # TrustFence
 TRUSTFENCE_SIGN_MODE = "HAB"
 
 # Adding 'wayland' along with 'x11' enables the xwayland backend
 # Vulkan is necessary for wayland to build
 DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " wayland vulkan systemd pam"
-DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED = "sysvinit"
 
 # SWUpdate sw-description configuration
 BOOTFS_EXT ?= ".boot.vfat"
diff --git a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8x.inc b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8x.inc
index 1122374e5..c768ed1ea 100644
--- a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8x.inc
+++ b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx8x.inc
@@ -70,16 +70,12 @@ MACHINE_EXTRA_RRECOMMENDS += " \
 
 MACHINE_FEATURES += "accel-graphics wifi bluetooth cryptochip pci mca"
 
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager ?= "systemd"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts ?= "initscripts"
-
 # TrustFence
 TRUSTFENCE_SIGN_MODE = "AHAB"
 
 # Adding 'wayland' along with 'x11' enables the xwayland backend
 # Vulkan is necessary for wayland to build
 DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " wayland vulkan systemd pam"
-DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED = "sysvinit"
 
 # SWUpdate sw-description configuration
 BOOTFS_EXT ?= ".boot.vfat"
diff --git a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx93.inc b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx93.inc
index cea1f8798..f43cd64f8 100644
--- a/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx93.inc
+++ b/meta-digi-arm/conf/machine/include/ccimx93.inc
@@ -55,11 +55,6 @@ BT_TTY ?= "ttyLP0"
 # Add additional firmware
 MACHINE_FIRMWARE:append = " ethos-u-firmware"
 
-# Use systemd as default init manager
-DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " systemd"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager ?= "systemd"
-DISTRO_FEATURES_BACKFILL_CONSIDERED = "sysvinit"
-
 # Adding 'wayland' along with 'x11' enables the xwayland backend
 DISTRO_FEATURES:append = " wayland pam"
 
diff --git a/meta-digi-dey/conf/distro/dey.conf b/meta-digi-dey/conf/distro/dey.conf
index 5bcf54c48..30178dd18 100644
--- a/meta-digi-dey/conf/distro/dey.conf
+++ b/meta-digi-dey/conf/distro/dey.conf
@@ -57,3 +57,6 @@ SDKPATHINSTALL = "/opt/${DISTRO}/${SDK_VERSION}/${MACHINE}"
 
 # Some packages need this (e.g. gstreamer1.0-plugins-ugly)
 LICENSE_FLAGS_ACCEPTED += "commercial"
+
+# Use systemd init manager by default
+INIT_MANAGER ?= "systemd"
diff --git a/meta-digi-dey/recipes-core/packagegroups/packagegroup-dey-core.bb b/meta-digi-dey/recipes-core/packagegroups/packagegroup-dey-core.bb
index 1df33d00f..ec99cbc41 100644
--- a/meta-digi-dey/recipes-core/packagegroups/packagegroup-dey-core.bb
+++ b/meta-digi-dey/recipes-core/packagegroups/packagegroup-dey-core.bb
@@ -20,15 +20,19 @@ VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-acpid ?= "busybox-acpid"
 VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-hwclock ?= "busybox-hwclock"
 VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-syslog ?= "busybox-syslog"
 VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager ?= "udev"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager ?= "sysvinit"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts ?= "initscripts"
 VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_keymaps ?= "keymaps"
-VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager ?= ""
 VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_passwd_manager ?= "shadow"
 
 # Set virtual runtimes depending on X11 feature
 VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_touchscreen ?= "${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'x11', '', 'tslib-calibrate tslib-tests', d)}"
 
+SYSVINIT_SCRIPTS = " \
+    ${@bb.utils.contains('MACHINE_FEATURES', 'rtc', '${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-hwclock}', '', d)} \
+    modutils-initscripts \
+    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-acpid} \
+    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts} \
+"
+
 RDEPENDS:${PN} = "\
     base-files \
     base-passwd \
@@ -38,14 +42,12 @@ RDEPENDS:${PN} = "\
     dualboot \
     ${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'systemd', 'firmwared', '',d)} \
     ${@bb.utils.contains("MACHINE_FEATURES", "keyboard", "${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_keymaps}", "", d)} \
-    ${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'systemd', '', bb.utils.contains("MACHINE_FEATURES", "rtc", "${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-hwclock}", "", d), d)} \
     ${@bb.utils.contains("MACHINE_FEATURES", "touchscreen", "${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_touchscreen}", "",d)} \
     init-ifupdown \
     libdigiapix \
     libgpiod \
     libgpiod-tools \
     libubootenv-bin \
-    modutils-initscripts \
     netbase \
     networkmanager \
     networkmanager-nmcli \
@@ -56,10 +58,9 @@ RDEPENDS:${PN} = "\
     ${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'systemd', 'system-monitor', '',d)} \
     usbutils \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils} \
-    ${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'systemd', '', '${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_base-utils-acpid}', d)} \
+    ${@bb.utils.contains('DISTRO_FEATURES', 'sysvinit', '${SYSVINIT_SCRIPTS}', '', d)} \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_dev_manager} \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_init_manager} \
-    ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_initscripts} \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_login_manager} \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_passwd_manager} \
     ${VIRTUAL-RUNTIME_update-alternatives} \