BRC DRS Workshop
This event is exclusive to BRC Retail Members and by invitation only.
This full day, retailer only workshop will bring together retailers hosting mandatory return points for the UK's Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to collectively test, refine and agree a shared set of high level operational assumptions. In the absence of a complete operational blueprint and with continued uncertainty around Exchange for Change's (the UK Deposit Management Organisation) timeline, the session is designed to support retailers in progressing internal planning and investment decisions in a pragmatic and proactive way.
The workshop will focus on agreeing a concise, collectively endorsed set of assumptions that retailers are already using to inform their preparations. These will be clearly positioned as retailer assumptions (high level, non commercial and explicitly caveated) rather than final decisions, policy positions or substitutes for DMO guidance. Discussion will centre on priority operational areas including exemptions, cut over and transition arrangements, collections models, return volumes and RVM requirements, invoicing and cross border considerations.
By the end of the day, participants will have helped shape a shared planning framework that could be used across the retail sector to support readiness for DRS, while recognising ongoing regulatory and delivery uncertainties.
Meet the Speakers
Donald McCalman
CEO at DRS International
Donald is the CEO of DRS International and has been designing, delivering and advising on DRS since 2019, covering all aspects of administrator design and operation.
He was founder, director and programme lead for Circularity Scotland – the scheme administrator for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme. Having worked with the Scottish Government's policy team in bringing operational rigour to the early scheme design, he then worked with an industry group to set up the company, develop the initial operating model, submit the application to become scheme administrator, then design and lead the full implementation plan. A key feature of this work was his facilitation of working and leadership groups, to develop operational and governance models that would meet the requirements of a diverse range of stakeholders.
Donald has supported the Irish scheme administrator and engaged with many other schemes, producers and agencies across Europe and the Americas. He has spoken at conferences and is widely respected as an expert in his field.
Prior to DRS, Donald worked as a business consultant, programme manager and business development lead across the telecoms, utilities, entertainment and public sectors. In the course of his career he has led and facilitated a range of teams and groups in design, conflict resolution and planning topics.
Douglas Brown
Business Consultant, DRS International
Douglas is an experienced business consultant who has been working on DRS since 2022. As a core competency of fulfilling that role he has led/facilitated a wide range of workshops over his career.
He was the Business Architect at Circularity Scotland, responsible for designing the target operating model and shaping delivery plans to meet all aspects of DRS requirements and Scheme Administration responsibilities. He has first-hand experience of identifying key DRS impacts, assessing operating model options through commercial and operational lenses. He has worked with multiple scheme stakeholders to formulate real world solutions.
More recently he has worked with a large HORECA organisation in the UK, facilitating a number of workshops with SMEs across their supply chain to identify impacts of the UK DRS.
Prior to DRS, Douglas held consulting roles in financial services, specialising in strategic transformation solution design and delivery within highly regulated markets.
Agenda
- Introductions
- Objectives of the session
- Ground rules
- Assumption Definition, Elaboration and Agreement:
- Run in 2 parallel groups
- Discuss each initial assumption definition
- Refine and enhance to reach agreement
- Present back to other group for
- Summary, outstanding issues, parked items, actions, close
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