Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 (as amended): Fairer Scotland Duty assessment
Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (FSDA) for The Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 (as amended by the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2025) and the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland (Designation of Scheme Administrator) Order 2025.
FSDA
14. The Scottish Government consulted[8] on a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for Scotland in 2018. A separate Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment (FSDA) was not undertaken at that time, however the accompanying Equalities Impact Assessment (EQIA)[9] took account of wider socioeconomic considerations associated with the introduction of a DRS.
15. A Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment [10] was published in 2019 alongside the proposed regulations and an accompanying Scottish Government statement. [11] It built on findings from the interim EQIA, identifying the potential for a DRS to both positively and negatively impact on people affected by low wealth and material deprivation.
16. A further framing exercise was carried out as part of the process of this FSDA by Zero Waste Scotland. The framing exercise identified the same limited number of potential impacts. As a result, a desk-based approach was considered to be appropriate for this iteration of the FSDA and has been used to source and update existing data and evidence.
17. In 2018, when developing DRS policy, a number of representative groups involved in supporting those experiencing socio-economic disadvantage were contacted to assess the impact of the policy.
18. No new impacts have been identified. However, this FSDA builds upon previous findings, concluding that the introduction of a DRS will impact upon those affected by low wealth and material deprivation.
19. It makes recommendations to minimise the risks of DRS impacting upon those groups of consumers. These include high-quality public communication, and the accessibility of return points.