March 27, 2026

March has been one of the most significant months in the history of reuse policy in the UK. Here is a summary of what happened, what we covered in our webinars, and where things stand heading into April.

The Senedd Has Approved Wales' DRS

Just last night, the Senedd officially approved the Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers, a landmark step in Wales' journey towards a circular economy.

From October 2027, a refundable deposit will be added to eligible drinks containers across plastic, aluminium, steel and — uniquely in the UK — glass. Consumers return the container, get the deposit back, and materials stay in circulation rather than ending up in landfill or on the streets.

Wales is the only UK nation to include glass from day one. That is both a bold commitment and a genuine logistical challenge, requiring alignment across labelling, reverse logistics and system design as 2027 approaches.

Critically, the approved regulations also enshrine mandatory reuse targets within the scheme from 2031. The approval of the DRS framework means Wales can now take the next step to further improve on the go recycling and begin the process of piloting and phasing in reuse.

Both commitments carry real operational implications for producers and F&B businesses. The focus now shifts to delivery:

• Appointing a Deposit Management Organisation
• Designing the operational framework
• Collaborating with industry and local authorities
• Building reuse infrastructure alongside single-use systems

Following the vote, the Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

This is a significant moment for Wales. International evidence shows a Deposit Return Scheme can tackle litter, improve on the go recycling and further reduce waste. This will keep valuable materials in circulation for longer — building on the world-leading recycling system Wales has already developed.

The Cardiff Reuse DRS Pilot: Webinar Recap

CLUBZERØ hosted two webinars on the Cardiff Reuse DRS Pilot. Both sessions filled quickly, with attendance spanning producers, retailers, brewers and trade bodies across the Welsh F&B market.

Businesses engaged included AB InBev, Mast-Jägermeister SE, Aldi UK, Asda, Ocado Retail, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Carlsberg Britvic, Gower Brewery, Bluestone Brewing Company and many more.

What is the Cardiff Pilot? CLUBZERØ is proposing a UK's first city-scale test of a fully digital, GS1-standard Reuse DRS. Starting with glass beverage containers, it is designed to demonstrate what a national rollout genuinely requires, operationally, commercially and technically.

Producers and retailers joining the consortium now will be first to help co-create how operations work inside a legislated Digital Reuse DRS. An in-person roundtable in the next quarter will bring the group together to finalise participation and submit proposals for funding ahead of its expected announcement.

📩 To register interest: hello@clubzero.co

Reuse Is Infrastructure, Not Just Packaging

This month, Safia Qureshi joined a Parsons School of Design - The New School seminar to discuss what building a reuse system at scale actually involves.

The packaging is the visible layer. The system beneath it: return-point networks, reverse logistics, unique serialisation, real-time data, and operational governance is where compliance is won or lost.

CLUBZERØ has refined that infrastructure across more than 3 million packaging rotations, 12 standardised packaging lines, and operations in the UK, UAE and Singapore. That foundation directly informs the Cardiff Pilot and positions CLUBZERØ to support reuse mandates across Wales' DRS, the EU PPWR's beverage reuse targets and Singapore's incoming BCRS.

▶️ Watch the full Parsons session: https://youtu.be/ZGIKELJXsgk

On the Ground: BaxterStorey

While the policy work advances, reuse is already operating at scale commercially. BaxterStorey deployed CLUBZERØ's Reusable Packaging System across multiple cafés and lunch destinations in a major London law firm. In just a few months:

☕ 94,662+ reusable packaging items served

💚 189,324+ single-use items diverted from landfill

💨 2,840kg CO₂eq avoided

♻️ 1,704kg of packaging waste eliminated

This is what circular systems look like when designed to be practical, intuitive and operational from day one.

U.S. Plastics Pact: A Practical Roadmap for Reuse in Retail

The U.S. Plastics Pact, in partnership with Upstream and WRAP, has published new research through its Reuse in Retail Initiative, outlining a recommended path forward for scaling consumer-facing reuse systems.

The findings identify, within the U.S., prepared food is the strongest near-term entry point, return-on-the-go is the most scalable consumer model, and Portland, Maine are the leading region for initial launch with expansion potential to California and beyond.

On policy, the report points to EPR alignment, investment in return infrastructure, DRS integration and public procurement as the levers that will determine pace and scale of adoption.

The parallels with what is being built in Wales are direct. The same infrastructure principles: digital traceability, standardised return mechanisms, policy-backed incentives are needed to underpin rollout of Reuse at scale.

CLUBZERØ was named the U.S. Plastics Pact Reuse & Refill winner for 2025. This latest research reinforces why: the model we have been operating and refining for over a decade is precisely what the sector is now being asked to build.

What Comes Next

The Wales DMO announcement is expected imminently. Our upcoming Reuse Roundtable will bring potential pilot consortium members together to shape the Cardiff Pilot's operational structure before proposals are submitted.

If your business places beverage containers on the Welsh market, the time to engage is now. The earlier you are in, the stronger your position for 2027 and beyond.

📩 hello@clubzero.co