M&S Food Supply Chain Monitor
The latest developments impacting the UK and European food supply chain. Filter by tag below.
A consultation is underway (ends 10th November) to gather stakeholder perspectives on a proposed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) designed to support the transition to reusable drink containers.
A former UK minister called the Scottish government 'utterly irresponsible' for withholding information when changing the bottle return scheme plans, as waste firm Biffa is suing for £166m over the scheme's delay news.sky.com news.sky.com .
UK councils could face a net income loss of about £61.4m per year under the deposit return scheme, as high-value recyclables (mostly aluminium and PET bottles) are diverted from council waste streams resource.co resource.co .
PackUK has begun issuing the first Extended Producer Responsibility invoices to packaging producers, shifting around £1.5 billion in annual waste management costs from local authorities to producers resource-recycling.com resource-recycling.com .
The European Commission has proposed targeted amendments to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to alleviate regulatory burdens on smaller operators and downstream entities through delayed application dates, simplified reporting, and enforcement grace periods, while largely maintaining the implementation timeline for larger companies.
Greenpeace criticized the EU Commission’s proposal to exempt downstream traders and small firms from EUDR reporting obligations and grant a 6-month grace period, calling it a capitulation to lobbying that weakens the law.
Delivering a Deposit Return Scheme for Wales…? It’s been talked about for years but a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in the UK is finally starting to take shape and is planned to launch in October 2027. 🎉 I’ve been working in this area for over 10 years (yes, it’s really taken that long!) so here’s a brief explainer of what it is and what the plans are for a DRS in Wales... · A DRS is a system where a small deposit is charged for certain types of drinks containers, such as plastic bottles and cans, at the point of purchase which is refunded when the container is returned. 🪙 · Evidence from the 56 schemes established elsewhere in the world shows that Deposit Return Schemes help to significantly reduce litter – not just of drinks containers but litter overall. 🚮 What’s the deal with Wales? Whilst committing to the same launch date and general ‘interoperability’, the proposal for the DRS scheme in Wales includes two areas of divergence. In Wales: · Glass will be included but without a deposit and; 🍾 · The scheme will also include reuseable containers and targets for reuse 🧋 This is genuinely ambitious and very welcome (by me at least!) but the logistics are not easy - I would argue howver, that it is a challenge we need to rise to. Whilst Wales may be one of the first countries to adopt reuse from the outset at quite such scale, it is not the only scheme which has extended its design to support reuse – Latvia and Denmark being particularly notable exceptions. Current consultation The current Welsh Government consultation (open until 10th November) is seeking views on the reuse element of the DRS in particular as well as gathering ideas as to how to deliver the maximum benefits for communities in Wales. Here’s some key principles that I have included in our response for Keep Wales Tidy 1/ We need to focus on the container, not contents. Exclusions and exceptions cause confusion for both consumers and industry. 2/ Not all reusable containers are equal. Without clarity of guidelines and the strict adherence to the precautionary principle, the increased and repeated exposure to heat and water in the washing process could cause additional problems further down the line. 3/ Political continuity and cross-party commitment is critical to avoid further delays and to ensure that this transformational policy is not held hostage for political or industry gain. (For reference, see Scotland, 2023). https://lnkd.in/eukRpFDT Reloop, Marine Conservation Society, Eunomia Research & Consulting - Certified B Corp., Trash Free Trails, Surfers Against Sewage, Wales Environment Link
Two years to go until the UK’s Deposit Return Scheme launches, an important milestone on the journey toward a more circular economy. Great to see UNESDA - Soft Drinks Europe and Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE) driving collaboration and sharing best practice across Europe through this new DRS Playbook. 📘 New release: the #DRSPlaybook! ✅ Commissioned by UNESDA and Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE) from OLHC consultants, this playbook is a comprehensive guide to developing, financing, and operating new and efficient hashtag#DepositReturnSchemes (DRS) in Europe. It covers everything from legislative context to operational execution, with practical insights and best practices. With DRS being increasingly rolled out across Europe, this playbook offers timely guidance to support the smooth implementation of these systems and ensure their proven effectiveness in boosting hashtag#BeveragePackaging collection. 🔎 Want more details? Explore our DRS Playbook page 👉 https://lnkd.in/d5BgiWX7 🔎 And read more in our joint press release 👉 https://lnkd.in/dep7qb8N
EPR is seen as the only viable solution to the UK's textile waste crisis, as councils face rising disposal costs and producers currently bear no responsibility under the existing system plasticsengineering.org plasticsengineering.org .
Major agri-food companies are warning that the European Union's proposed delay to its anti-deforestation law, intended to address IT readiness, risks global deforestation, accelerates climate change, and undermines trust in EU regulatory commitments.
Malaysia’s palm oil council welcomed the EU’s decision to delay its deforestation-free products law again, saying it will allow time to address operational and structural flaws in the regulation reuters.com .
The EU Commission is considering another year’s delay to the deforestation regulation, which Earthsight criticizes as pandering to industry and warns that each year’s postponement causes carbon emissions equivalent to 18 million cars earthsight.org.uk earthsight.org.uk .
The Welsh Government is advancing its Deposit Return Scheme, with a July 2025 update expected, to address pervasive litter and unlock significant economic and environmental benefits, notably planning to include glass unlike the broader UK initiative.
Eighteen EU countries have urged the Commission to further relax the bloc's deforestation-free trade law, arguing it imposes excessive due diligence on producers and recommending another delay reuters.com reuters.com .
What does it take to scale returnable packaging scheme in stores? 🤔 Testing. Learning. Iterating. We're glad to have contributed to this progress report alongside Reposit | Returnable Packaging Platform | B Corp and Marks and Spencer, sharing the achievements to date and highlighting the iterative approach that the partnership worked on behind the scenes. Over the last 2 years, the project tested a wide range of metrics for sustainable growth: several types of self-service return points, reverse logistics infrastructure, in store merchandising and messaging framework. All to get better understanding of consumer behaviours when it comes to buying and returning products in reusable packaging. Some key takeaways: - The system is currently live in 25 M&S stores in the UK. - More than 18,800 customer engaged with the system. - Up to 74% return rates in selected stores. City to Sea provided research and behaviour change framework to gain insights into shopper perceptions and behaviours, engaging with over 10,000 people and customers in the last 2 years. Read the progress report here: https://lnkd.in/emxtYnqz Want to make reuse second nature? Let's chat: https://lnkd.in/emRkfenZ
Marks and Spencer is just one of many major brands and retailers facing massive tax bills. This is a result of extended producer responsibility💰 hashtag#EPR which will drive the entire retail sector to reevaluate their packaging strategies to optimise for hashtag#recyclability in an effort to reduce fees ♻️ To do that, they need to know what happens beyond the bin 🗑️ I'm proud to say we're already helping hashtag#brands and packaging hashtag#producers make multi-million-pound design decisions, ensuring their products perform within the current recycling infrastructure using real-world data. Greyparrot Analyzer units worldwide are shining a light on post-consumption packaging, allowing brands to report on hashtag#recyclability — and design for a hashtag#circular future. See coverage by Financial Times's Laura Onita here 👇 https://lnkd.in/eFCfHwXP
Ireland’s first-year DRS returned nearly a billion bottles and cans, and UK environmentalists and politicians are supporting similar UK plans to tackle litter and boost recycling reloopplatform.org reloopplatform.org .
UK ministers announced new deposit return scheme legislation to launch in October 2027 for plastic bottles and cans, aiming to boost recycling rates and reduce litter gov.uk gov.uk .
Campaigners decried the UK government's decision to delay its deposit return scheme to 2027 and exclude glass, warning this move will keep bottles piling up in bins and on streets theguardian.com theguardian.com .