CarlsbergBritvic-SDR-Convenience-v20 - Flipbook - Page 13
Convenience overview
Convenience deep dive
Convenience data tables
DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME:
LESSONS FROM IRELAND AS UK LAUNCH APPROACHES
In October 2027, the long-awaited Deposit Return
Scheme (DRS) for single-use plastic and metal
drinks containers will begin in England, Scotland and
Northern Ireland. The scheme will charge a deposit on
eligible drinks containers, refundable when returned to
designated collection points.
Carlsberg Britvic has long supported the development
of a nationwide DRS, and we welcomed the
government’s May announcement of the formation
of the Deposit Management Organisation (DMO) to
oversee the scheme.
We only need to look at the results delivered by
Ireland’s DRS, which marked its one-year anniversary
in February 2025, for proof of the benefits such
schemes can bring. By the end of 2024, more than 980
million35 single-use drinks containers had been returned
across Ireland, stopping millions of plastic bottles and
aluminium cans ending up as litter or in landfill.
The benefits are social as well as environmental. In
its first year in Ireland, more than 2,000 schools35,
charities, clubs and community organisations registered
with DRS for their own fundraising activities. So far,
€900,00035 (and counting) has been raised by the
‘Return for Children’ scheme, which allows people across
As we touched on above, sustainability shouldn’t be
viewed in isolation of commercial interests. After all, 72%36
of shoppers say they are influenced by a desire to be
sustainable when they’re deciding what food and drink to
Ireland to donate their used drinks containers to benefit
six children charities, including Barnardo’s and Childline
by ISPCC.
We therefore have high hopes for a UK wide DRS. We
believe it will result in a significant reduction in littering
and marine pollution, boost the availability of quality
recycled plastic for use as packaging, while delivering
similar social benefits to those seen in Ireland. The
May appointment of the DMO for England, Northern
Ireland and Scotland shows that we are nearing the
end of the journey to DRS. That should be celebrated.
DRS: the Irish experience
980 million
containers collected in first year35
2,000
charities, schools and community groups
registered to use DRS for fundraising35
€90,000
raised by the ‘Return for Children’ initiative so far35
put in their baskets. We share these values and continue to
place sustainability at the heart of our business strategy.
Read on to find out more.
35 https://re-turn.ie/many-happy-returns-minister-marks-first-birthday-of-the-deposit-return-scheme/
36 Savanta Grocery Eye Q3 2024 - https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2024/10/25/what-uk-consumers-want-sustainability-trends-in-food-and-drink/
SUSTAINABILITY
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