Sky News claimed this morning that it had seen a copy of the letter where the consortium, which counts some of the largest producers as members, urged the PM to intervene with Defra to “redesign” the DRS and raise concerns about EPR costs.
The group has said since the report that the two schemes combined will “add around £4 billion in costs to retailers”, which will be passed down the line. It added that they will be “unlikely” to deliver improvement to recycling or waste disposal either.
‘Concerns’
In a statement given to letsrecycle.com, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “The retail industry is writing to the prime minister to express concerns over the implementation and operation of a deposit return scheme and extended producer responsibility.
“These two schemes will add around £4 billion in costs to retailers, increasing prices for consumers at a time when the cost of living is weighing heavily on households across the UK. Furthermore, the current proposals are unlikely to deliver meaningful improvement in recycling and waste disposal. Retailers support the aim of these schemes, but it’s vital they are implemented in such a way that works for consumers, and delivers meaningful benefit to the environment.”
Lobbying
The letter from the BRC has come amid long-running rumours that producers are lobbying behind the scenes to have the proposals watered down, warning of their inflationary impact during a cost of living crisis.
In December 2022, Defra said it was hosting a number of roundtable meeting with producers to “discuss the final design and delivery of the extended producer EPR system.”
Defra said the meetings formed part of its commitment to “work closely” with industry to roll out the legislation. The department dampened rumours at the time that these were any forms of “crisis talks”.
Ahead of the roundtable meetings, Defra said it has constantly listened to feedback from industry throughout the process and highlighted that the costs of the system have already been reduced from £2.7 billion to £1.4 billion, when plans for business waste were dropped earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story).
This is a hugely disappointing response from retailers
- Cllr Clyde Loakes, chair of the North London Waste Authority
‘Disappointing’
Responding to reports of the letter this morning, Cllr Clyde Loakes, chair of the North London Waste Authority, said: “This is a hugely disappointing response from retailers, who should already be going faster and further than what is finally on the table, after years of delays and navel gazing. They’ve had and still have more than enough time to adapt and plan for these changes. We call on the Government to revert to its original high ambitions.”
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