Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme on costs for (a) businesses and (b) consumers.

Defra has assessed costs and benefits of a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers (DRS) through the DRS impact assessment.

Defra published the first impact assessment on DRS in 2019 and a subsequent update to the consultation analysis with a further iteration to the consultation impact assessment was published in 2021. The 2021 consultation impact assessment can be found at: https://consult.defra.gov.uk/environment/consultation-on-introducing-a-drs/supporting_documents/Impact%20Assessment.pdf

A final Impact Assessment will be published in alignment with the next phase of the DRS work to allow us to update the analysis to accurately reflect what is set out in the January 2023 government response and the legislation drafting with the most recent data available.

We recognise that the introduction of a DRS is a new undertaking for industry, and with the continued pressures facing consumers and businesses every day, the impact of change is not to be underestimated. We are committed to continuing engagement and working collaboratively with industry to deliver a cost effective, well-functioning scheme.