A British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) webinar with DRS International has explored why brewers, importers, and pub businesses need to agree stock changes, test invoices, and plan deposit cashflow now.
Bill Power, chairman of DRS International
A brewer can have their new packaging ready and still face problems if a customer cannot order it, a warehouse cannot distinguish it from old stock, or an invoice applies the wrong deposit.
Preparing for the UK Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) means making those changes work together before launch on 1st October, 2027. The scheme aims to reduce litter, increase collection and recycling, and provide cleaner material for recycling into new containers.
That was a central message of the BBPA member webinar delivered with DRS International on 24th September. Presented by George Kyle and Douglas Brown, with Donald McCalman and Howard Stone contributing to the discussion, the session examined what brewers and pub businesses can decide now and what still depends on further scheme guidance.
“Brewers and importers need to agree with suppliers and customers when packaging, product information, and invoices must change for DRS,” said Bill Power, chairman of DRS International. “Those dates will help shape the work across procurement, commercial, finance, operations, and IT.
“Businesses can start those conversations now. Waiting for every scheme detail leaves less time to change systems and test them properly, increasing the risk of disrupted deliveries and delayed payments.”
Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA, added: “Now we are less than 12 months out, it is vital that brewers, pubs, and businesses across the supply chain start preparing for the launch of DRS.
“Appointing a senior owner and bringing teams together is a critical first step that people can make today, as well as drawing on support being offered by your trade association, Exchange for Change, and other experts like DRS International.”
Consumer dates matter
The session highlighted why businesses need to ask customers when they require new product information, barcodes, and stock. Those dates may be earlier than scheme deadlines because customers also need time to change their systems and processes.
Procurement and packaging teams need those requirements before committing to print runs and production schedules. Commercial teams need to understand what can be delivered before agreeing dates. Warehouse teams need a reliable way to identify, store, and pick old and new versions. Without that agreement, businesses risk rejected deliveries, invoice disputes, and stock that customers cannot accept.
Since the webinar, Exchange for Change has published transition guidance for PET plastic and metal containers in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Eligible non-DRS stock can remain on sale after launch; selling it through by April 2028 is encouraged, not a regulatory deadline. Welsh arrangements and possible flexibility for some unfilled packaging remain outstanding. Businesses can, nevertheless, identify packaging already ordered, slow-selling lines, and stock likely to remain at launch. They should explore changeover options with customers using the published guidance, while keeping plans flexible where decisions remain outstanding.
Test the transaction, as well as the pack
The announced 0p producer fee from October 2027 to December 2028 remains subject to review and reconfirmation in May 2027. Businesses still need to budget for implementation and operating costs, and understand the cash needed to manage refundable deposits.
Finance teams should map when deposits become payable and when they are recovered from customers or returned containers. Differences in timing can create a funding requirement. Those calculations need to inform discussions about payment terms and credit limits.
IT and finance also need to test how orders, invoices, and credits will work with trading partners, including electronic data interchange, where used. A correct barcode alone will not prevent an invoice mismatch. Testing should follow a transaction through to payment and reconciliation, including what happens when stock is returned or an invoice corrected.
Decide what happens in each pub
Pub businesses need to connect their financial plans to what staff will do on site. Deposit charging depends on the nation and whether drinks are consumed on or off the premises, with business choices available only where those rules allow. Businesses must establish the applicable rules before setting up tills and training staff. In Wales, qualifying glass bottles will carry a zero deposit until October 2031, so they should be kept separate from deposit-recovery calculations.
Where a pub retains containers to recover deposits, it needs suitable storage, collection arrangements, and a way to check the money recovered. Containers discarded through the wrong route can mean lost deposits. Staff also need clear instructions for takeaway sales and customers who want to take a container away.
Managed estates can set central procedures. For leased and tenanted pubs, the pub company and operator need to establish who handles each task and what guidance or support is required. A single instruction sent across an estate will not resolve those differences.
Give the next steps an owner and a date
The webinar set out priorities for the next 30, 60, and 90 days: establish affected products, sites, and responsibilities; work through costs, cashflow, customer requirements, and supplier lead times; then approve the changes and start the work that takes longest. Long-lead work should begin earlier where necessary. Since the webinar, Phase 1 registration has opened; businesses required to register as producers or return-point operators should complete it now, with Phase 2 due from January 2027.
For businesses already preparing, the immediate test is whether finance, procurement, commercial, supply chain, packaging, IT, and pub operations are using the same dates and assumptions. For those starting, appointing a senior owner and bringing those teams together is the first step. Acting now gives businesses time to agree changes with suppliers and customers, test their systems and train staff, reducing the risk of delivery problems, billing errors, and delayed payments when DRS launches.
