With three years until Britain’s deposit return scheme (DRS) goes live, Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I) has published a new research and insights paper, Deposit Return Schemes: What’s in Store for the UK?
The paper builds on a previous report launched in 2022, and includes further research to understand the actual response to the introduction of a DRS in Ireland.
Ireland’s scheme launched in February and early results reveal that more than half a billion containers have been returned so far.
SBF GB&I says its new research reinforces the three-stage mental shift model, ‘Surprise, Review and Reset’, that it outlined in its original report, which was based on nine days of in-person interviews conducted in supermarkets, c-stores and forecourts.
In its original research, SBF GB&I found that it takes just seven weeks for most shoppers (88%) to rethink their relationship with plastic bottles and to appreciate their value after living with the scheme.
Consumers with the strongest understanding of the environmental benefits of the DRS tended to adapt the fastest, and the most engaged consumers were those who had already noticed less litter in their local area.
The white paper also found some remaining hurdles to participation, including those who have difficulty storing drinks containers on the go before returning to a store, or don’t visit supermarkets as often, but that these barriers are reducing.
For ‘first timers’, once they realise how easy it is to return their containers and how many return points are available, it becomes easier to adapt. Parents are using DRS to educate children on the benefits of recycling and are using reverse vending machine (RVM) vouchers as a form of pocket money.
According to the research, Irish retailers say that the DRS is helping to build shopper loyalty and is rewarding those that make the experience better for consumers.
With redemptions of vouchers often taking place immediately in the store that containers are returned, the retailers that have benefitted most are those who have worked to overcome any initial challenges. Taking quick action when maintaining, cleaning and emptying RVMs, or by making simple additions like hangers for bags and bins to empty out liquids, is making the journey better and creating more loyal shoppers.
The UK’s deposit return scheme is scheduled to launch in October 2027.
