Meeting description: To introduce the Minister to the Scotch Whisky industry and the work it is taking forward on sustainability including a tour of the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. As part of the roundtable we highlighted the track record of the industry to date and reiterated our commitment to delivering on targets set including reaching Net Zero in own operations by 2040. As part of the discussion we highlighted the forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland highlighting that in our view there remained some serious concerns and important information outstanding which is hampering companies' ability to prepare for a successful launch in August 2023. In addition we also mentioned how the industry remains concerned regarding the impact on glass (allowing of crushing in the specification) affecting our ability to meet our targets in our sustainability strategy as a consequence. We highlighted the challenges around industry readiness in light of the now compressed timelines for delivery with producer fee announcement only to be made in August which results in significant risk to the project not least in light of already exacerbated supply chain issues. We welcomed the Minister's commitment to being pragmatic around cut-over and look forward to continued engagement with her her officials Circularity Scotland Limited and SEPA in order to ensure the scheme can be successfully delivered.
Topic label: Climate