Having had a front row seat for the first attempt to launch a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, there’s absolutely no doubt that a lot of lessons have been learned and that Exchange for Change, the clunkily-named administrator of the DR 2.0 scheme is making a far better job of it than Circularity Scotland ever did.
Granted, Circularity had at least one hand tied behind its back for most of its short-lived existence, but Exchange for Change has long been saying all the right things, communicating well and appointing people that actually understand the industry and the challenges.
So far, so positive but the reality was always going to be that good comms and recruitment would only take the administrator so far. There’s clearly a political will to get it done this time around and, broadly speaking, there’s an acceptance in the trade that this time we need to make it happen. A lot of the people that fought so hard against DRS during the first attempt now seem to be much more accepting of it, including the big retail chains and suppliers.
Offering smaller retailers grants to install RVMs is also a good sign. It worked in Ireland and it demonstrates that Exchange for Change is listening to us. Small steps, but steps in the right direction.
So things are slowly edging forward but the biggest threat to the calm seas was always going to be when Exchange for Change had to start revealing the important stuff, the nitty gritty that really matters to retailers. Stuff like the handling fee and the collection schedule. These were the sorts of issues that helped derail the scheme last time and, with the best will in the world, there’s likely to be at least some uproar this time around too.
The reality is that the implementation of DRS 2.0 was never going to be a pain-free experience. There are going to be bumps in the road. There are going to be issues that our sector fundamentally objects to – but we will have to find a way to navigate the process, minimise the downsides where we can and somehow get to the point where we drag this scheme into reality, hopefully without it causing too much grief to retailers.
DRS will be transformational for Scotland’s environment and for every community we serve. Local retailing is all about community so we should endeavour to play a leading role in bringing DRS to life. We should aim to own it. We have more stores in more places than the supermarkets or discounters or anyone else for that matter.
The next few months will undoubtedly come with challenges for our sector as the detail is revealed. It won’t be pretty in parts, I’m sure, but it’s my sincere hope that we can find a way to make DRS work for local retailers and their customers. It’s coming – so let’s make it ours.
Antony Begley, Publishing Director, SLR
Crunch time approaches for DRS
Having had a front row seat for the first attempt to launch a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, there’s absolutely no doubt that a lot of lessons have been learned and that Exchange for Change, the clunkily-named administrator of the DR 2.0 scheme is making a far better job of it than Circularity Scotland ever did.
Granted, Circularity had at least one hand tied behind its back for most of its short-lived existence, but Exchange for Change has long been saying all the right things, communicating well and appointing people that actually understand the industry and the challenges.
So far, so positive but the reality was always going to be that good comms and recruitment would only take the administrator so far. There’s clearly a political will to get it done this time around and, broadly speaking, there’s an acceptance in the trade that this time we need to make it happen. A lot of the people that fought so hard against DRS during the first attempt now seem to be much more accepting of it, including the big retail chains and suppliers.
Offering smaller retailers grants to install RVMs is also a good sign. It worked in Ireland and it demonstrates that Exchange for Change is listening to us. Small steps, but steps in the right direction.
So things are slowly edging forward but the biggest threat to the calm seas was always going to be when Exchange for Change had to start revealing the important stuff, the nitty gritty that really matters to retailers. Stuff like the handling fee and the collection schedule. These were the sorts of issues that helped derail the scheme last time and, with the best will in the world, there’s likely to be at least some uproar this time around too.
The reality is that the implementation of DRS 2.0 was never going to be a pain-free experience. There are going to be bumps in the road. There are going to be issues that our sector fundamentally objects to – but we will have to find a way to navigate the process, minimise the downsides where we can and somehow get to the point where we drag this scheme into reality, hopefully without it causing too much grief to retailers.
DRS will be transformational for Scotland’s environment and for every community we serve. Local retailing is all about community so we should endeavour to play a leading role in bringing DRS to life. We should aim to own it. We have more stores in more places than the supermarkets or discounters or anyone else for that matter.
The next few months will undoubtedly come with challenges for our sector as the detail is revealed. It won’t be pretty in parts, I’m sure, but it’s my sincere hope that we can find a way to make DRS work for local retailers and their customers. It’s coming – so let’s make it ours.
Antony Begley, Publishing Director, SLR
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