Producers

If you put drinks on the market under your own name

Most retailers are not producers. You become one only if you place own-brand drinks on the market in the relevant nation. Packaging manufacturers are not producers.

You are a producer if

You place own-brand drinks on the market in the relevant nation. If you only resell someone else’s brand, this page probably does not apply to you.

You are a producer if you import

Importing drinks in in-scope containers from outside the UK and placing them on the UK market makes you a producer, whoever manufactured them. This catches drinks wholesalers, online sellers of foreign brands and retailers importing direct. The importer is the first to place the product on the market and inherits the full obligation.

You are not a producer if

You only resell branded products, or you manufacture packaging. Packaging manufacturers are explicitly not included in the producer definition.

One registration covers England, Northern Ireland and Scotland

A single registration and label set is sufficient across the three nations operating under Exchange for Change. Producer obligations attach per nation, so if you place product on the market in Wales as well, track the Welsh scheme separately — it is expected to be interoperable for PET and metal, but confirm the detail with the scheme administrator rather than assuming it.

The barcode and logo

Every in-scope product needs a registered DRS barcode

All in-scope products must display a DRS-compliant barcode registered with the scheme administrator, plus the UK Deposit Return Scheme logo. This is what allows the product to be identified, returned and processed correctly.

No registered barcode, no return

Products without a registered barcode are not accepted for return. If your own-brand product cannot be identified at the till or in an RVM, the consumer loses the deposit and you have a complaint on your hands.

What the barcode does

Links the product to the scheme Article List
Confirms the deposit and producer fee have been applied
Allows products to be accepted at automated return points via reverse vending machines
Makes the product identifiable at counting and sorting centres

International barcodes

International barcodes, used across multiple markets and not specific to the UK DRS, can be used — but they may be subject to an additional charge on the standard producer fee. Final details will be confirmed as part of the producer fee structure.

Do not go early

In-scope containers with DRS-specific barcodes and the scheme logo must not be sold to consumers before 1 October 2027. Using them early signals that a deposit and producer fee have been applied when they have not, and risks non-compliant product entering the market.

The critical path

Start 12–18 months out

Packaging is the longest lead item in the whole scheme, and it is the one that cannot be compressed at the end. Artwork revisions, new printing plates and running down existing stock all sit in series. If your catalogue is not signed off by early 2027, you do not make launch with compliant packaging.

Producers placing 10 million containers a year will pre-pay around £2 million in deposits before a single container comes back. That is a timing mismatch rather than a cost — deposits are refunded when the consumer returns the container — but it lands on your cash flow months before it comes back.

Audit the range Check every SKU against the Article List. In scope is PET, aluminium and steel, 150ml to 3 litres.
Register barcodes Register each DRS barcode with the scheme administrator and wait for approval before committing to print.
Commission artwork New artwork carrying the DRS logo. This is the long pole — plates alone can take months.
Run down old stock Work out when existing packaging legally clears. You cannot simply stop selling it overnight.
Pre-pay deposits Budget the deposit outflow as working capital, on top of producer fees.

Exemption

Low volume producers are treated differently

If you are a small brand, the scheme takes a lighter touch. You are exempt from the logo, the barcode and producer fees — but not from registration or reporting.

Low volume thresholds

Under 5,000 units per SKU per year Standard low volume threshold
6,250 units in the first 15 months Applies to the launch period

What you are exempt from

Scheme logo requirements
Barcode requirements
Producer fees

What you still must do

Register with the scheme administrator
Report your volumes to them

Producer fees

For the first 15 months of the scheme

Producer fees for all drinks containers are set at 0p for the first 15 months, following extensive consultation with industry. They will be reviewed, validated and reconfirmed in May 2027 — five months before launch, which makes it a relevant date for 2027–28 trade negotiations.

If you are a retailer, not a producer

You do not pay producer fees directly. They sit with the brand owner and may be passed through in your trade terms. Watch your supplier pricing into 2028 — the 0p period is a reprieve, not a permanent state.

Producing, or just reselling?

If you place own-brand drinks on the market, the barcode and logo requirements land on you. Confirm the detail with the scheme administrator before you commission artwork.

Official producer guidance Producer FAQs