Retailers race to label or remove unmarked stock as beverage container return scheme’s transition period ends
Despite offering steep discounts and having a six-month lead time, some retailers say they have struggled to offload non-compliant products in time.
As the Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) comes to an end on October 1, retailers in Singapore rushed to remove unmarked drinks from shelves and replace them with compliant products. Despite a six-month transition period and heavy discounts, some smaller retailers struggled to clear their inventories in time. Over 2,000 merchants applied for a one-month grace period, which the National Environment Agency (NEA) approved for 85% of their applications.
Some stores, like CNA's visit to Scarlett and Don Don Donki, still had unmarked drinks on their shelves, while others, like Don Don Donki and Little Farms, were actively applying deposit mark stickers and replacing product labels. Major supermarket chains, including Sheng Siong and FairPrice Group, reported making progress in transitioning to BCRS-compliant products. The grace period provided these retailers a crucial buffer to avoid business losses.
Written by urgent.news from CNA - Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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