The drinks bosses, retailers and others who have found themselves swept up in the countless deposit return scheme dramas of the past eight years have come up with a few alternative descriptions of the project in that time – many of them unprintable in The Grocer.

After a seemingly never-ending series of political rows and industry bust-ups that would be worthy of a Netflix drama, the plans have never been far away from some disastrous new twist, with perils seemingly lurking around every corner. Yet with the unveiling of the new name and icon (which will appear on drinks containers across the UK from next year, if things go to plan), a pivotal moment seems to have been reached.

With help from brand experts who have piloted schemes for the likes of British Airways, The UK deposit management organisation (DMO) has chosen the title ‘Exchange for Change’ for the consumer-facing side of the initiative.

And with it comes a sense that DRS is starting to feel real for everyone, not just those within its inner circle. All of a sudden October 2027 doesn’t seem that far away. We’re still whispering it quietly, but could this thing actually make it off the ground?

Proof of progress 

Confidence is indeed building that the 2027 launch of DRS – once seen as impossible by supermarket bosses – could now become a reality, with sources telling The Grocer good progress is being made by the DMO and Defra.

And visual proof will come with the new name and logo, with the latter appearing on containers included in the scheme (PET plastic, aluminium and steel, 150ml-3l), helping customers recognise in-scope items and how to return them.

As this new, simple but effective logo becomes more familiar across the industry and in households, it should become synonymous with a scheme almost constantly at risk of being dragged down by the maelstrom of political factors that have made DRS anything but simple and effective.

It would not be the DRS we know and love, however, without the still-looming threat of problems.

DRS plot twist 

Key challenges still facing the DMO rollout include retailer handling fees being released in the second quarter of this year, which will see the reality of the scheme hit home for very different reasons.

Before that though, the industry is waiting with bated breath to find out whether the UK government will accept Wales’ application to be granted an exception for its plans to include glass in the scope of the scheme. As The Grocer revealed last week, concerns over the inclusion of glass, which helped bring down the Scottish forerunner to the UK rollout, was not enough to stop the UK DMO bidding to run the Welsh scheme too.

However, the ‘who blinks first’ political situation between Wales and Westminster makes it hard to predict how this will pan out. A UK-wide rollout with as much in common as possible remains the biggest demand for the industry.

For now though, the DMO deserves credit for seemingly having brought a sense of co-ordination to proceedings. Perhaps it’s finally time to start dreaming of exchange for change rather than chaos as usual.

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