Author: Matt Urwin

NSWA statement:

“We are disappointed by the Welsh Government’s decision to withdraw from the four-nation approach to delivering an aligned Deposit Return Scheme across the UK. This decision will significantly weaken the impact of the introduction of DRS on tackling litter and promoting a circular economy, both across the UK and in Wales. It will create cross border issues for the scheme: confusion and frustration among consumers, the risk of fraud, and uncertainty for producers and retailers. The NSWA remains committed to a DRS for cans and PET plastic bottles established by October 2027 and will continue to work with Governments to achieve this.”

 

Residents in Blackpool and Haringey are set to benefit from new on-the-go recycling bins in some of their busiest areas. Following an impressive financial injection of £25,000 from Natural Source Waters Association (NSWA), the aim of the new installations is to encourage out of home recycling for residents. These new projects are part of the #InTheLoop initiative which is run by environmental charity Hubbub.

In Blackpool, the bins are being introduced along the promenade, famous for its iconic Tower, Comedy Carpet and three piers. The seafront and beach is a popular spot for picnicking and will be the first time Blackpool will have dedicated recycling bins to make it easy for the 20 million visitors per year to recycle drink containers when visiting the country’s premier holiday resort. At the launch, BBC Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer and former winner, Jowita Przystal unveiled the first of 20 recycling bins, dedicated to collecting plastic bottles and drinks cans for recycling. Brightly coloured chalk footprints, including ballroom dancing shoes and seagull tracks (one of Keep Blackpool Tidy’s mascots), will be spray-painted on the promenade to help people easily find the bins.

In Haringey, a total of 18 recycling bins will be introduced along Tottenham High Road. The busy road is populated with multiple shops and businesses and provides access to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as well as both the Underground and Overground station.

The new bins have been welcomed by Tottenham Hotspur, who work closely with Haringey Council to ensure the area around the stadium is maintained for residents, businesses and those visiting the stadium. The Club was represented at the launch by Ambassador and legendary former captain, Ledley King.

Tottenham Hotspur has been recognised as the Premier League’s greenest club for the past five years running and is committed to achieving net zero by 2040. 

Finding recycling bins for drinks containers while out and about can be difficult in the UK. With the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) delayed until October 2027 the #InTheLoop campaign aims to help alleviate the issue and boost efforts to secure as many plastic drinks bottles and cans for recycling as possible. 

 

Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to raise the awareness of ‘On the Go Recycling’ to everyone visiting our promenade and beach. The high profile Promenade  location will give plenty of scope to recycle responsibly and reduce the level of plastic cans and bottles being littered on the beach entering the seas and oceans, and their devastating impact on the environment.” 

 

Cllr Seema Chandwani, Cabinet Member for Tackling Inequality and Resident Services, said: “As the Spurs stadium continues to host world class sporting and music events, Tottenham High Road is welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. We heard strongly from local residents and businesses, through the Tottenham Voices engagement, that they want to improve the street recycling facilities and reduce our impact on climate change. I’m thrilled that we have received this funding and are able to work in partnership with our residents and businesses to make Tottenham a greener and cleaner place. This campaign also supports our work towards achieving our recycling target of 50% and therefore will remain one of our top priorities.”

Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and director at Hubbub, said: “It is with big thanks to the Natural Source Waters Association and all of its members, that we have been able to support the introduction of new on-the-go recycling. Less than half of local authorities currently have on-the-go recycling interventions in place, and while the DRS scheme continues to be delayed, we are determined to make #InTheLoop the go-to solution for effective on-street recycling across the UK.” 

Anthony Walker, at Natural Source Waters Association, said: “Bottles and cans are a vital and valuable commodity, and we want these containers to be captured so they can be recycled into new ones. Producers are keen to make it as easy as possible for people to recycle the right things in the right places and #InTheLoop is a proven way of doing this. It improves both recycling rates and the quality of material collected on-the-go, so that material from these containers can be used again, whilst also reducing litter. The next step in achieving a circular economy for bottles and cans is for aligned deposit return schemes to be introduced across the four nations of the UK, which is why we are working with UK Governments to make this happen.”

The famous Blackpool promenade and the streets of Tottenham will soon be adorned with colourful and eye-catching bins to help residents and visitors recycle when out and about. The news comes as environmental charity Hubbub and the Natural Source Waters Association announce the winners of the In The Loop grant fund that launched in January to roll out public recycling points and boost out-of-home recycling in two new areas.

The fund of £12.5k for each local authority, aims to help reduce litter and increase recycling by collecting more drinks bottles and cans and put these items back in the loop to be recycled. The new #InTheLoop campaigns will involve the roll out of bright, colourful and eye-catching bins, targeted messaging and local partnerships to encourage positive behaviour change.

The winning projects will be taking place in:

• Blackpool – Enveco NW Environmental Services in partnership with Blackpool Council, introducing new recycling bins across Blackpool Promenade to support residents and visitors recycle when visiting the beach, or attending an event such as the Air Show for example, which attracts over 350,000 people.
• Haringey – The council working in partnership with Veolia and Destination Tottenham stakeholders will introduce new recycling bins along a section of Tottenham High Road, one of the busiest in North London and home to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium attracting 60,000 to the area for football, sporting and music events.

The two winning projects will launch this summer, as part of #InTheLoop, the UK’s biggest collaborative approach to boost recycling on-the-go, which was first trialled in Leeds in 2018, followed by campaigns in Swansea, Edinburgh, Dublin, Wimbledon, Telford and Lambeth and further six locations funded by previous grant applications. Combined, these projects have seen over 2.6 million drinks containers collected during the initial project phase.

Learnings will contribute with renewed insight to the #InTheLoop toolkit, an in-depth guide on how to roll out successful campaigns, to benefit other interested local authorities and organisations who can access the learnings and downloadable assets for free.

Gavin Ellis, Director & Co-Founder at Hubbub, said: “The level of interest and number of strong applicants made it challenging for the panel to select winners. It demonstrates the appetite for local authorities to adopt the campaign.  These new campaigns will allow #InTheLoop to build upon its legacy of introducing effective recycling on-the-go in parks, towns and cities across the UK and Ireland and we would welcome conversations with other businesses and brands to support future grant funds so we can meet the demand for new locations.

Anthony Walker of the NSWA said, “With these two new projects thousands more drinks containers will be captured, enabling them to be made into new ones and stopping them end up as litter. Collecting drinks containers for recycling is a priority for all our members. Until a Deposit Return Scheme launches across the UK we are delighted to be supporting #InTheLoop and hope to see more Local Authorities use the toolkit Hubbub have made available.”      

Barry Francis, Director of Environment and Resident Experience at Haringey Council, said, “We were thrilled to hear that our waste and recycling teams innovative #InTheLoop funding submission was successful and look forward to working with Hubbub, Natural Source Waters Association and our borough partners to deliver this exciting project. These eye-catching bins will give people more opportunity to recycle when out and about and help keep our streets cleaner.  I’m looking forward to seeing the very real improvements for residents, businesses and visitors in this busy and vibrant area of our borough.”

Jez Evans, Operational Director at Enveco NW said, “Blackpool provides litter bins at all access steps to the beach during the bathing season (May to September), between the North Pier and South Pier. The award of the grant is a great opportunity to increase the recycling of materials that would normally be disposed of as general waste without segregation. Enveco will purchase 20 specific recycling bins, to maximise the recycling potential for thousands of daily promenade & beach users whilst reducing the waste arising from traditional waste/litter bins.”

 

For more information on In The Loop, and to view the toolkit, including downloadable assets, visit www.intheloop.org.uk.

Our member Princes Gate has exciting news about their identity:

A new year, the same refreshing taste of Wales, but a bold new look for us at Princes Gate, as we announce our latest brand refresh set to hit the shelves later this month.

After first bottling our naturally Welsh water in 1991, we’ve aptly named our range ‘A Natural Drop of Wales’ to celebrate our Welsh heritage and quality.

The creative yet simple representation of the natural process that produces our water, with the backdrop depicting the beautiful hills of Pembrokeshire, in the surrounding landscape, lends itself well to the essence of our new brand and all it stands for; provenance, heritage, and its duty of care towards protecting it.

We also have a few new friends joining the Princes Gate brand, headed up by Dewi, our new raindrop mascot. These little characters will help us with getting the word out there about our tasty water, charitable work, and environmental practices. We’ve already developed a soft spot for them and think they really encapsulate the personality of Princes Gate, we’re friendly, care about what we do and don’t take ourselves too seriously. Keep an eye out for more of adventures from Dewi and his friends!

Of the brand refresh Sam Atkinson, our Head of Sales & Marketing here at Princes Gate, said: “This is an exciting time for Princes Gate and we’re thrilled to reveal the brand refresh and all that it encapsulates. We’re known to be a passionate bunch and we were keen to ensure that this new look really celebrates our heritage, our source, and our ‘home’ and I’m so pleased with the result.”

Sustainability sits at the heart of Princes Gate and we are passionate about reducing its impact on the environment.

Projects to date have included the launch of bottles made 100% from other bottles (excluding cap and label), powering the factory using renewable electricity (including that produced on-site through our own wind turbine and solar PV) and improving biodiversity on our site which includes planting a wildflower meadow, re-establishing a natural pond and introducing bee hives!

Our mission to reduce our carbon footprint hasn’t stopped there and we now have our sights set on nothing less than Net Zero by 2050.

Promoting better well-being and healthy lifestyles has also been integral to the Princes Gate brand and this is set to continue. Princes Gate has been a big supporter of all sports throughout Wales and beyond over the last two decades, with grassroots sport, in particular, being central to partnerships and the Princes Gate brand ethos.

These partnerships include the Welsh Rugby Union (and all regions), Football Association of Wales, Ironman Wales and Cardiff City FC. Our newly designed bottles are expected to start hitting the shelves by the end of January!

This month, Nestlé Waters celebrated World Environment Day by creating greater awareness of the company’s actions locally to care for the environment. Below are some exciting examples of their nature-based solutions to help tackle water risks, climate change, and the loss of biodiversity in line with Nestlé’s ambition to become Net Zero by 2025.

 

I) Princes Gate: Enhancing biodiversity and protecting wildlife

At the Pembrokeshire site where Nestlé Waters bottles PRINCES GATE and NESTLÉ PURE LIFE waters, the company continues to support local biodiversity through a variety of solutions.

 

• Reverting the on-site field back to a natural meadow:
  • Planted with 50+ types of grasses, hedges, and wildflowers to provide pollen for pollinators
  • 3 beehives placed with 126 lbs. of honey produced in 2022
  • Planting 500 saplings of native trees planned
• Caring for the on-site pond:
  • Cleared out algae and introduced locally sourced water lilies
  • Fountain installed to increase the oxygen levels in the water
  • 45 species of plants recorded in 2022 including bogbean, spike-rush, and reed
  • An abundance of fauna present (beetles, dragonflies, frogs, squirrels, etc.)
  • Duck houses introduced as a safe haven for ducks and moorhens

II) Derbyshire: Caring for biodiversity at Cowdale and Lightwood sites

In Derbyshire, where Nestlé Waters bottles BUXTON and NESTLÉ PURE LIFE waters, Nestlé Waters together with the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust developed 10-year management plans for the two sites where the water sources are located. Approximately 190 acres of land is being regenerated and protected as a part of Nestlé Waters’ water stewardship strategy.

• The former Lightwood Reservoir site:
  • Protecting the land’s natural resources
  • Enhancing woodland, maintaining ponds and grassland
  • Creating healthy ecosystems where wildlife can thrive
  • Connecting people with nature for learning and inspiration
• The former Cowdale Quarry site:
  • Regeneration back to a meadow
  • Restoring existing habitats and creating new ones
  • Providing homes for common and rare species of birds, mammals, and plants
  • Chemical-free land care practices, including an innovative method for removing non-native and invasive Japanese Knotweed

 III) Derbyshire: Waterswallows Nature Reserve

In 2021, Nestlé Waters created a nature reserve surrounding their water bottling site in Buxton to transform a species-poor pasture to an area flourishing with flora and fauna:

• Over 3 hectares of meadow sown with native wildflowers
• 200+ mature trees planted
• Maintaining wetland areas, introducing bee banks and BUG hotels
• Habitats for many native species, including birds and insects such as red-tailed bumblebees, peacock butterflies, emperor dragonflies, and six spot burnets

IV) Derbyshire: Restoring natural habitat of the River Ecclesbourne

Opening 28 km of the river and its tributaries to at least 8 native fish species, including vulnerable Atlantic Salmon, allowing it to return to parts of Derbyshire after 100+ years of absence:

A project to restore the natural habitat of the River Ecclesbourne and support the recovery of Atlantic salmon has begun.

Working with partners at the Wild Trout Trust, Chatsworth Estate, and Nestlé Waters, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is managing a new project to improve water quality, enrich the ecological status of the river and re-meander a section of the river back to its original channel. This will bypass a weir at the site of the former Postern Mill in Turnditch and create a route for fish migration.

A tributary of the River Derwent, the Ecclesbourne rises near Wirksworth and flows southeast for approximately 18km to join the Derwent near Duffield. The ecological status of the river is classed as “Moderate” against the Water Framework Directive by the Environment Agency, due to pollution and physical barriers preventing fish movement throughout the watercourse.

A Wild Trout Trust habitat assessmentⁱ reports that the river has a large amount of potential spawning habitats for Atlantic salmon, a priority conservation species, and other fish species found in the Derwent Catchment, but their movement is prevented by the presence of manmade structures.

The new project will bypass the weir and restore the river to its original course before it was diverted for milling in the 18th century, opening over 28km of river and tributaries for fish, and improving the ecological status of the river.

The excavation and construction of the new channel, due to start in the Autumn, will reinstate fish passage for many species, including salmonⁱⁱ, classified as ‘vulnerable’ in Europe, and eelⁱⁱⁱ classified as ‘critically endangered’ globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Other species to benefit include grayling, trout, lamprey, minnow, stone loach, and bullhead.

Jennifer Kril, Living Rivers Officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We are incredibly excited to be starting this project to improve the Ecclesbourne River’s natural habitats, provide passage for a whole host of fish species, and improve its overall health. It also offers great opportunities for local schools and communities to get involved, learn more about their water environment and make a positive difference to wildlife.

“Getting this project to the start line has been a huge team effort and we are delighted to be working with our partners to protect this watercourse as part of our mission for nature’s recovery.”

Tim Jacklin, Deputy Director of the Wild Trout Trust, added: “This is a great example of the type of project required to save our threatened migratory fish. We are delighted to be working with our partners on this project which builds on the removal of Snake Lane weir, Duffield, in 2022. Completion of the project at Postern Mill will open up the whole River Ecclesbourne, allowing salmon once again to return from the North Atlantic all the way to Wirksworth – and back again!”

Hayley Lloyd House, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Waters UK, said: “We are looking for ways to play an active role in supporting the regeneration of local water cycles, this includes the Derwent Catchment, within which our Derbyshire site operates. It’s where we bottle at source BUXTON natural mineral water and Nestlé Pure Life spring water, and where we protect water resources through nature-based solutions.

“This World Water Day, we are proud to be announcing this collaborative project which will provide significantly more water for vulnerable fish species to re-colonise in the Ecclesbourne River. Locally, we anticipate the impact will be long lasting, enhancing the health of the river, its biodiversity, and provide benefits for the local community. It’s one example of more than 100 projects Nestlé Waters are implementing around the world to help create a positive water impact where we operate.”

Whilst work to restore the river is carried out, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is engaging with local schools and communities about the ways in which they can contribute to the regeneration of rivers.

Work to control invasive Himalayan Balsam in the catchment will also be carried out along 6km of riverbank. Introduced here in 1839, it is now an invasive weed of riverbanks and ditches, where it prevents native species from growing and contributes to increased bank erosion during Winter months.

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Pictured credited to Jennifer Kril, Living Rivers Officer at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.

ⁱ https://www.wildtrout.org/assets/reports/Ecclesbourne_2019.pdf

ⁱⁱ https://www.iucnredlist.org/fr/species/19855/2532398

ⁱⁱⁱ https://www.iucnredlist.org/fr/species/60344/152845178

Blackford 30^h March 2023: Highland Spring Group, one of the UK’s leading producers of natural source waters, confirms their science-based net-zero target has been approved by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) under the new Net-Zero Standard.

In 2021, the business announced its ambitious climate target to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 and set credible and robust science-based targets. The Group continues to work collaboratively with suppliers to explore and maximise opportunities to reduce emissions across its entire operations, from source to shelf.

Simon Oldham, Managing Director, Highland Spring Group, said: “Since the business was founded over 40 years ago, our core purpose has been to provide healthy hydration in an environmentally sustainable way. The SBTi verification is an important milestone on our journey to net-zero and demonstrates our commitment to tackling climate change. We recognise the vital role companies must play in helping achieve transformation at the pace and scale needed to limit global warming to 1.5^oC and we will continue to work hard on our strategy to create a positive impact for people, society and the planet.”

Highland Spring Group’s targets are as follows:

Overall Net-Zero Target

• Highland Spring Group commits to reach net-zero Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions across the value chain by 2040 from a 2019 base year.

Near-Term Target

• Highland Spring Group commits to reduce absolute scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions 50% by 2030 from a 2019 base year. Highland Spring Group also commits to reduce absolute scope 3 GHG emissions 46.2% within the same timeframe.

Long-Term Target

• Highland Spring Group commits to reduce absolute scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions 90% by 2040 from a 2019 base year.

The business continues to go further through on its journey towards net zero with the introduction of innovative new projects including the recent launch of a new rail freight facility in Blackford which will remove 8,000 lorries from the road and contribute towards a CO2 reduction of 3,200 tonnes per annum.

 

‘Reducing waste and promoting a circular economy are key priorities for the NSWA and its members. This is why we have long been supporters of an effective deposit return scheme (DRS) in Scotland, and have worked extensively over the past three years with Zero Waste Scotland, Circularity Scotland and the Scottish Government on the scheme’s development. We look forward to continuing our work on the scheme with the First Minister’s new Government moving forward.

We would like to reiterate our commitment to a successful launch of this landmark environmental initiative on 16^th August. Our members, as responsible producers, have been planning for the scheme’s introduction for some time and have invested a significant amount of resource to ensure readiness.

It is our view that any move to exempt small producers or phase the introduction would create an unlevel playing field and cause huge consumer confusion, while creating additional complexities for producers and retailers. We believe DRS needs to remain an all-in scheme for both producers and retailers.

We would also like to underline our strong preference for the schemes to be aligned and interoperable across all four nations as far as possible. This will help reduce complexity and cost for consumers, producers and retailers, as well as diminish the risk of fraud.

We hope decision makers will focus on making DRS a success by maintaining a level playing field and ensuring the scheme can be delivered on time this summer.’

Kinvara Carey, General Manager, NSWA

The natural source waters category in the UK has grown in both value and volume demonstrating its resilience, despite ongoing supply challenges.

Simon Oldham, Managing Director of Highland Spring Group commented, “Up until the end of February, the category has been performing well, with an increase in volume of 1% and a value increase of 19.7%[i]. This positive performance from the healthiest option on the soft drinks shelf comes despite a myriad of pressures and shows the crucial role the category has to play in providing a healthy choice to consumers”.

Industry leaders came together today (22.03.23) to address key issues and recent challenges, as well as looking to the future, at the Zenith Global UK Water Drinks Conference 2023 in Central London. Last summer’s challenges which meant producers were unable to meet demand at peak times, CO₂ shortages, and priorities for a successful implementation of deposit return schemes (DRS) across the UK were all discussed, amongst other topics.

 

Keynote speaker, Henry Dimbleby MBE highlighted the role for water, “If people drank water instead of soft drinks, it would have a huge impact on the obesity crisis”.

Kinvara Carey, General Manager of the Natural Source Waters Association (NSWA), said, “Consumers receive confusing messages when it comes to choosing a healthy drink, as many contain more sugar or calories than perhaps expected. The NSWA and its members are working hard to tackle this and have invested £1.73 million in 2022 on initiatives which promote water as the healthiest option on the soft drinks shelf.

The planned introduction of a Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) for Scotland and the rest of the UK formed a major part of the day’s discussions. The NSWA and its members have long supported the introduction of an effective and well-designed DRS and have been working with the Scottish and UK Governments, and many others on their development. NSWA members support an all-in DRS, which must be aligned and interoperable across the UK.

NSWA members, representing approx. 60% of the category volumes

, said that they valued the opportunity to come together and discuss the major issues facing the category. “It is great to see the category continuing to recover after COVID but last year brought its own challenges with supply chain issues and the long hot summer making it challenging to keep up with the surge in demand. We’ve worked really hard so the category doesn’t face the same issues again this year. The ability to collaborate as members to discuss the key topics, challenges, and opportunities facing our sector particularly around health and sustainability is really valuable.”

[i] Neilsen data. 52 weeks ending 25^th February 2023

The NSWA has partnered with Zenith to offer a 10% discount to the UK Water Drinks Conference 2023 event.

Purchase your ticket for Water Drinks Conference 2023

To receive the discount, simply enter the promotional code NSWA10 on the “Summary” page when purchasing your tickets.

NSWA have secured Henry Dimbleby MBE, National Food Strategy Part One lead, as keynote speaker for the event entitled Planet Positive for a Healthier Future. Other speakers include Tam Fry, Chair of the National Obesity Forum; MDs from NSWA member companies; market updates on category performance from Zenith and Kantar; and retailers.

Water Drinks Conference 2023

Henry Dimbleby said, “It is positive to see the natural source waters category bringing the industry together to tackle two critical issues: the health of the nation and the environment. Clearly more needs to be done to encourage consumers to choose and enjoy healthy food and drink products, and there is an urgent need for continued collaboration across the supply chain to protect the natural environment and tackle climate change.”

Kinvara Carey, General Manager of the Natural Source Waters Association, added: “This is an important time for the supply chain to come together. The event will provide excellent insights on trends, the fast-moving policy environment, and opportunities for market collaboration. As key supporters of the event, our members who produce the majority of natural source waters sold in the UK, will be sharing their views and expertise and we look forward to seeing other industry leaders and retail customers there too”