Highland Spring’s managing director, Simon Oldham, voices support for a well-planned and harmonised Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) that can increase recycling and provide high-quality recycled materials while reducing litter. However, in the current climate that lacks clarity, he questions where we stand today. Oldham stresses that smaller producers/brands in Scotland should not be exempt from the scheme as this would result in a significantly anti-competitive environment and create a lot of confusion. He explains that it is crucial for both schemes to become harmonised to create a seamless solution for producers, retailers, and consumers.
Highland Spring continuously practices light-weighting, and its PET bottles are now 20% lighter than they were four years ago. Oldham calls for an end to Producer Responsibility Note (PRN) since it is largely unregulated and creates market uncertainty. Gemma Morgan, Danone UK & Ireland category director, supports the DRS and looks forward to interoperability for various schemes to simplify the process for all the stakeholders. Evian, a Danone-owned brand, announced in 2018 that it would be a 100% circular brand by 2025. Morgan asserts that they have made significant progress on their journey towards 100% recycled plastic bottles.
Montgomery Waters, a company that owns brands such as Stretton Hills, Celtic Springs, and Aquaroma, is a retailer brand whose output goes into other company’s brands. Andy McAdam, the commercial director, firmly supports the DRS concept but believes it is crucial to create a united DRS for all instead of building a fragmented solution that makes it hard to implement.
In conclusion, the DRS is a critical and welcome initiative that can increase recycling rates, reduce litter, and provide high-quality recycled materials for the industry. However, it needs to be implemented in a harmonised and unified way to create an anti-competitive environment, reduce complexity, cost and confusion, and benefit all the stakeholders.
