Associate feature: What our current political climate means for the prospects of a green future

Against the current political backdrop, I’m sure many of us find ourselves reflecting on the ever-evolving sustainability landscape. 

With the recent updates to Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) regulation, there’s a lot to be optimistic about, and there’s a lot to consider. What does this mean for Scottish businesses, and with the wind now behind us, how do we continue to make real progress? In a world facing numerous crises, prioritising sustainability can be challenging for many organisations.

While there are still challenges to overcome, the focus now must be on making DRS a success. The need for alignment across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales remains crucial, though Wales’ decision to withdraw from a four-nations’ approach inevitably raises complications that will require creative solutions. What’s more, should the worst happen, and DRS does not go live in October 2027, all of the in-scope packaging will be subject to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) costs from January 2028; equivalent costs with lower demonstrable environmental benefit.

It’s important to recognise that stability is essential for businesses to predict, plan and invest; processes that have been nearly impossible during a tumultuous decade. Confirmation that the DRS will launch in October 2027 allows businesses like ours to make necessary long-term choices with confidence. 

Understanding the needs of our retail partners and working in partnership will be critical in making DRS work. Recently, in collaboration with The Fed and the team at Mo Razzaq’s Premier store in Blantyre, we ran a ‘Purchase, Refresh, Return, Reward’ trial to encourage shoppers to participate in recycling while raising awareness of the DRS roll out in Scotland. The initiative has already diverted thousands of items from landfill, with over 1600 items returned through the store’s reverse vending machine in the week 13-19 January.

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve recycling behaviours, we’ve also built a strong partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB). This recently led to an exciting project at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, where we tested various incentives and disruptive messaging on recycling bins across the campus. The aim was to understand what influences students’ recycling habits to help increase participation rates. 

Insight from countries with established Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), such as Norway, reveals that educational and professional campuses tend to have lower return rates than other public spaces. That’s why we installed two Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) on campus, offering rewards for bottle and can returns. These real-time insights are helping us understand the key drivers for recycling among students and will guide our efforts to fine-tune future campaigns.

In partnership with KSB we’re focused on laying the groundwork for a successful scheme when it arrives in Scotland, all while better understanding common recycling behaviours and identifying the most effective levers to boost recycling rates across various environments. 
There are real reasons for optimism, with recent regulations giving us more certainty than we’ve had before, and the business community really beginning to see the value in a more circular approach to materials and business models.

But don’t just take my word for it, according to a report released during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, 75% of businesses now consider circularity to be important, a significant increase from 40% three years ago. 

While October 2027 may feel a way off, and circularity and DRS are firmly on the agenda, we must keep pushing the conversation forward. This is how we drive more progressive, confident, and future-focused policies that deliver real impact. 

This article is sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

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