‘Shocking lack of details’: SIBA pushes for delay to DRS
The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) has called on the government to delay the implementation of its deposit return scheme (DRS), after what it called “a shocking lack of details”.
The organisation said that producers will need meaningful information on how to implement the scheme at least 18-24 months before, to ensure its success. Currently, DRS is set to be introduced in October 2027, in only 13 months’ time.
SIBA wrote to ministers to say that they are facing a “Scottish style meltdown of DRS” over Wales’ failure to appoint an administrator or guide businesses on how their separate system will work.
Unlike the rest of the UK, the Welsh scheme includes glass, a decision that has been heavily criticised by the industry.
As Harpers has reported, the WSTA has called this policy both costly and ineffective, with retailers potentially having to label stock either ‘not for Wales’ or ‘for Wales’.
A similar scheme in Scotland collapsed in 2023, after refusing to exclude glass from its remit.
Westminster would only allow an exemption to the Internal Market Act 2020 – which prevents regulations that discriminate between goods in different parts of the UK – if glass was excluded.
The disagreement meant that the firm responsible for running the scheme – which was funded by the drinks industry – went into administration with over £86 million in debt.
Wales has been allowed to include glass in its scheme but is yet to appoint an administrator – also known as a deposit management organisation (DMO) – despite applications closing on 2 June 2026.
It had previously rejected the one application it received.
Commenting on the scheme, Andy Slee, the chief executive of SIBA, said: “It feels like déjà vu on the Deposit Return Schemes, where a lack of clarity and different rules across the UK doomed the scheme in Scotland before it could even launch.
“We want to see a DRS that works for all producers and consumers and the simplest way to do that would be to have the same scope and the same rules across the UK.”
His organisation added that there has been no clarity on how the glass scheme will work and interact with the government’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, which it suggested could result in Welsh small breweries being double taxed.
In the rest of the UK, Exchange for Change has been charged with delivering and administering the scheme, and has set the deposit for all materials at a flat rate of 20p.
SIBA represents around 700 small independent breweries. You can read its full letter to the government here.
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