Arrogance of drinks giants
They try to kill plastic bottle deposit scheme – saying public don’t care
SOFT drinks firms are trying to block moves to end the plastic bottle blight, claiming shoppers are not concerned by it.
They have lobbied ministers in a bid to stop the introduction of a deposit and return scheme (DRS) which would boost recycling.
The Daily Mail can reveal they recently told a UK Government minister ‘the environmental impact of packaging was low on consumer’s priorities when buying a soft drink’.
They even suggested people are not much interested in getting a refund for returning plastic bottles.
Green campaigners blasted the claims, accusing soft drinks firms of trying to ‘bamboozle ministers’.
They pointed to surveys showing overwhelming public support for DRS. Some 78 per cent of people were in favour of the idea.
The Scottish Government has committed itself to implementing a bottle deposit scheme within the next two years, following a campaign by the Scottish Daily Mail.
However, UK Environment minister Dr Therese Coffey held a meeting with the drinks industry on October 24 to discuss how the Government would meet its legal obligations to improve recycling rates.
The details have been revealed following a Freedom of Information Act request by Greenpeace. Notes were taken by an official in the environment department Defra and sent to colleagues and the minister.
The documents reveal some drinks industry bosses argued against a DRS, suggesting having it alongside council kerbside collections of plastic would be ‘confusing’ for consumers.
Some firms suggested customers were not particularly interested in the idea of getting some money back if they return a plastic bottle.
According to the notes, some argued their customers were ‘more interested in getting rid of rubbish (convenience) rather than incentives for doing so’.
And they went further to claim that most people do not much care about the impact on the environment of plastic bottles.
The companies represented at the meeting were Lucozade Ribena Suntory, Nestlé and Danone, which both sell bottled water, and Britvic UK.
Coca-Cola, which has broken ranks with others in the industry to support Scotland’s efforts for a DRS, was also there.
Industry body the British Retail Consortium, which speaks for supermarkets, was present alongside the British Soft Drinks Association.
Details of the meeting were uncovered by the Greenpeace Unearthed team.
Greenpeace UK senior oceans campaigner Louise Edge said: ‘The argument that consumers don’t care much about the environmental impact of plastic when buying a soft drink is completely disingenuous.
‘Survey after survey has shown a vast majority of the public does support deposit return schemes for plastic bottles and would like to see plastic-free aisles in supermarkets.
‘Instead of trying to bamboozle ministers with their dodgy spin, plastic bottle producers should be listening to what people are actually saying and start reducing the billions of plastic bottles they churn out every year.’