Circularity scotland urged to disclose number of producers registered for deposit return scheme
February 21, 2023
Share
Circularity Scotland announced today that £22 million of cashflow support will be made available to Scottish producers to help them prepare for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
Responding to that announcement, UKHospitality Scotland Executive Director Leon Thompson said:
“This late move is symptomatic of the entire Deposit Return Scheme process where decision-making has not been timely or understanding of business need.
“Frankly, with one week to go before registration for producers is set to close, this is a desperate attempt to boost the number of businesses signing up to be involved in the Deposit Return Scheme.
“UKHospitality Scotland members have been reporting that suppliers are highlighting a number of drinks brands and products that will not be available in Scotland after 16 August. This is bad news for those producers and our businesses who will not be able to offer the same range of drinks to customers.
“This also highlights that producers are thinking very carefully about registering with Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme, with its financial costs and liabilities. With hospitality businesses continuing to invest time and money in preparing for DRS, it is critical that Circularity Scotland is transparent on how many producers are currently registered.
“Four and half thousand producers have been identified by Circularity Scotland. However, there is speculation that the number of those registering are sitting well below this figure.
“It is hard to see how the scheme can operate without a critical mass of producers involved.”