Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020 (as amended): island communities impact assessment

Introduction to Island Communities Impact Assessment

1. This Island Communities Impact Screening Assessment has been prepared to accompany 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.

2. This iteration of the Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) builds on the previous interim ICIA^[1] published in September 2019 accompanying the consultation, and a subsequent full ICIA ^[2] carried out to accompany the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Regulations 2020.^[3]

3. A number of positive and negative impacts were identified in these events that are out of scope of the Impact Assessment. These fall into two categories:

(i) Issues where the effect on island communities was not significantly different from that on non-island communities, e.g. the cash-flow impacts of the scheme on retailers purchasing stock or the opportunities to use existing infrastructure for collection and storage of containers.

(ii) Issues which are not necessarily a consequence of DRS but could nevertheless be realised depending on the approach taken by producers to the scheme’s implementation. The Scottish Government has been clear that, as a form of extended producer responsibility, industry will determine how the scheme is implemented.

4. An important insight provided by participants was that, while the impacts that would be experienced by island communities will not be significantly different from those experienced elsewhere, successful implementation in island communities may require the scheme administrator (SA) to find solutions to overcome local challenges.