The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has welcomed the delay of Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) from April 2021 to July 2022, reaffirming that the old date was always going to be unachievable.
However, the trade association has questioned the timing of the announcement which has come during a period when wholesalers and their customers are working around the clock as the coronavirus pandemic unfolds.
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Colin Smith, chief executive of the SWA, says that pushing back implementation of DRS until 2022 would give retailers more time to prepare but expressed disappointment that the Scottish Government had chosen this week to unveil the DRS for Scotland Regulations 2020.
“Our members and their customers are working around the clock to cope with the challenges presented by the most serious health and economic crisis since the Second World War,” he says. “At this critical time, when retailers and hospitality businesses are facing considerable uncertainty over the future viability of their businesses and trying to do their best for their customers and staff, it seems strange the Scottish Government would choose now to publish the regulations.”
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