Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft drinks manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it supports piloting a deposit return service for bottles and cans in Scotland. Executives from the company said that they agreed with campaigners who were calling on the Scottish government to establish such a scheme in order to reduce waste and pollution. The company has previously opposed deposit schemes, used in countries including Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden, which see surcharges of approximately £0.10 ($0.12) refunded to customers when a bottle is returned. But Coca-Cola also argued against introducing an additional charge for plastic bottles, saying there was no evidence that people would use them more than once.
Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft drinks manufacturer, announced on Tuesday that it supports piloting a deposit return service for bottles and cans in Scotland. Executives from the company said that they agreed with campaigners who were calling on the Scottish government to establish such a scheme in order to reduce waste and pollution. The company has previously opposed deposit schemes, used in countries including Australia, Canada, Norway and Sweden, which see surcharges of approximately £0.10 ($0.12) refunded to customers when a bottle is returned. The announcement was described as a “landmark moment” by the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland.