Suntory Beverage & Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I)today publishes a new research and insights paper that can help inform an effective DRS operation in the UK.Deposit Return Schemes: What’s in Store for the UK?, builds on the report launched in 2022, including further research to understand the actual, real response to the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme in Ireland.
Early results from Ireland have been incredibly positive, with over half a billion containers returned since the launch of the scheme[1] in February. The new research reinforces the three-stage mental shift model, ‘Surprise, Review and Reset’, that SBF GB&I outlined in its original report and involved nine days of qualitative intercepts within grocery, convenience and forecourt retail environments.
Education is keyIn its original research, SBF GB&I found that it takes just seven weeks for most shoppers (88%) to rethink their relationship with plastic bottles and to appreciate their value after living with the scheme.
An initial adaptation period is to be expected as consumers get used to the scheme, but SBF GB&I’s research shows many consumers move from this period of ‘surprise’ to one of ‘reset’ within a few months. This can be accelerated by showing the benefits for communities and how consumers can play their part. Overall understanding of the logistics of the scheme has increased, with ‘social proofing’ helping to recruit non-engagers as they see fellow shoppers using reverse vending machines in store.
Consumers with the strongest understanding of the environmental benefits of the DRS tended to adapt the fastest and the most engaged consumers were those who had already noticed less litter in their local area.
There is a great opportunity to learn from the implementation of DRS in Ireland and we are committed to ensuring a successful roll out in the UK. We know people will experience that initial moment of surprise at having to pay more upfront, and then return the container in good condition to reclaim their deposit, but it’s promising to see shoppers adapt and form new routines. We are on hand to support retailers on this journey, by sharing these lessons and opportunities that will help them prepare effectively.
Keith Allen, Commercial Sustainability Director at SBF GB&I
Learning from what worksThe research shows there are still some barriers to participation, including those who have difficulty storing drinks containers on the go before returning to a store, or don’t visit supermarkets as often, but that these barriers are reducing.
For ‘first timers’, often younger people, once they realise how easy it is to return their containers and how many return points are available, it becomes easier to adapt. Families are using DRS to educate children on the positive environmental impact of proper recycling and using RVM vouchers to incentivise engagement, giving it to them to spend as pocket money.
SBF GB&I’s research shows that retailers can benefit from the scheme if they invest and build the consumer journey around their return vending machines (RVMs). Irish retailers report that the DRS is helping to build shopper loyalty and is rewarding those that make the experience better for consumers.
With redemptions of vouchers often taking place immediately in the store that containers are returned, the retailers that have benefitted most are those who have worked to overcome any initial challenges. Taking quick action when maintaining, cleaning and emptying RVMs, or by making simple additions like hangers for bags and bins to empty out liquids, is making the journey better and creating more loyal shoppers.
It is important that the scheme is as easy for consumers as possible and that removing unnecessary complexity or confusion will lead to better return rates and outcomes.
Committed to circularitySuntory Group’s purpose is to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people in harmony with nature. To realise this purpose, SBF GB&I is committed to accelerating sustainable and circular packaging to reach its goal of 100% sustainable packaging by 2030.
We know we have a significant role to play in the UK’s net-zero ambition and can help build a circular economy. To accelerate our goals we need a closed bottle to bottle loop system, giving us access to a sufficient high quality, locally sourced material. Delivering a functioning DRS would help achieve this and lower our carbon emissions. We are keenly aware that we cannot achieve “the brilliance of life” without the brilliance of the earth and DRS will help us protect it for future generations.
Michelle Norman, Director of Sustainability and External Affairs at Suntory Beverage & Food Europe
It's now three years to go until DRS is introduced in the UK, with roll out confirmed by the government for October 2027.
ENDS
Notes to EditorReport commissioned by Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I and undertaken by shopper insights agency Shoppercentric Ltd between May 2021 – December 2021 and February 2024 - September 2024.
2024 Research Methodology:The methodology of this research was repeated three times, capturing responses from each of the three waves identified in the 2021/22 research (Surprise: 8th-10th February, Review: 6th-8th June, Reset: 19th-21st September).For each wave, qualitative intercepts were conducted, capturing shoppers in the moment. People were intercepted and interviewed at several points in-store; front of store soft drinks fixture, back of store soft drinks fixtures, till points and at the RVMs. These intercepts were conducted in three stores, each representing a different channel, and each store was revisited in each of the waves. Exploring attitudinal and behavioural reactions to the DRS across the three waves helped to understand changes in shopper perspectives, as well as providing learnings for future roll outs in other countries.
2021 Research Methodology:This research engaged a total of almost 8,000 people and had four elements:First Response: The first stage pulled together a small community of 25 people over a two-week period to look at how consumers reacted to a deposit return scheme. The community comprised of 13 women and 12 men, spread across the UK and Ireland, and split to ensure there was a mix of people aged 18-70, with and without children, from rural and urban locations and with varying buying habits.In-store Behaviours:The second stage used virtual reality technology to analyse how people shopped the soft drinks category with the addition of a 20p charge on drinks. 5,534 people were tracked as part of this research segment.Household Habits: A community of 104 people were brought together to form a qualitative “Mini Public” study in a deposit return scheme (DRS) ‘world’. The eight-week long project combined the learnings from the shopper behaviour with consumption and household habits and introduced socialising with DRS ‘rules’ in place. This fed into, and refined, an overall model to help predict consumer and shopper behaviour over time.Product Preferences: A study of 2,267 people to look at whether there were preferences for different types of packaging and products.
The research revealed three distinct phases for consumer behaviour:Surprise: Shoppers experience surprise at being asked to pay more for soft drinks in a retail environment and return items for a feeReview: In the second stage, consumers review their relationship with materials like plastic bottles and learn how to adjust to the new scheme rules after reevaluating the value of their drinks packagingReset: In the final phase, shoppers reset and change their behaviour towards materials like plastic bottles resulting in new routines and different choices