In a preliminary response to the Circular Economy Minister’s
statement to the Scottish Parliament on the deposit return
scheme, Ewan MacDonald-Russell, Deputy Head of
the Scottish Retail Consortium, said:
“The Scottish Retail Industry is proud of its commitment to the
environment and sustainability, including working towards our
2040 Net Zero target and working across the supply chain to move
towards a circular economy. Within that framework
Scotland’s retailers have very significantly invested in good
faith to deliver a deposit return scheme. That includes years of
engagement with government, development of systems and store
refits, and a financial commitment which already runs into the
tens of millions.
“Today’s announcement has serious implications for that
investment, which has been committed at a time where retailers
have devoted every other effort to grappling with the
cost-of-living crisis. Retailers will need to take time to fully
understand the implications of today’s decisions and consider
what the most appropriate next steps are. In the short-term
retailers are likely to pause any further investment until we
have a clear operational plan and a final credible critical path
to delivering the scheme.
“Lessons must be learned from this sorry DRS saga. In the longer
term this announcement provides an opportunity for the four home
nations of the UK to come together to develop a comprehensive
delivery plan, focused on consumers, based on delivering a
coherent, comprehensive, clear, and cost-effective deposit return
scheme which can increase recycling and move to a more circular
economy. Hitherto the scheme has been bedevilled by a rush
to unachievable dates and a failure to take on board businesses
reasonable and practical suggestions; there is an urgent need to
move beyond that and deliver this as a project without the
politics.
Mr MacDonald-Russell added:
“More broadly, in the days and weeks ahead this regrettable
episode should be seen as an opportunity to think anew about how
the four home nation governments work together when they have
similar public policy goals or objectives in certain areas. This
is particularly so with so many environmental and public health
regulatory initiatives under consideration across the UK. That’s
not to question where powers reside. However, perhaps a key
lesson to learn from deposit return is it’s to the benefit of
consumers and those firms tasked with implementing public policy
when the four home nation administrations engage collegiately and
work together to introduce aligned regulatory measures in a
sensible and cost-effective manner, one which minimises
complexity and helps retailers keep down prices for customers.”
