Bringing together the Official Water of The Championships, the event organisers and the UK’s DRS deposit management organisation, the pilot will test how RVMs operate in a live event setting ahead of the Scheme’s national rollout next year.
This year’s Championships Qualifying Competition takes place from Monday 22 June to Thursday 25 June at the Wimbledon Qualifying and Community Sports Centre, Roehampton.
During the event, spectators can purchase evian® 75cl plastic bottles on-site, with a 20p deposit added at point of purchase, reflecting how the Scheme will operate when launched. Consumers can then return their empty bottle via one of two RVM collection points located across the site, ensuring the single-use packaging is captured and recycled.
All deposits collected through the pilot will be donated to the Wimbledon Foundation, supporting a range of local and national community projects.
In addition to boosting recycling rates at the event, the pilot will provide an opportunity to gather valuable insights, helping to shape the consumer experience ahead of the national rollout of the Scheme.
While this pilot focuses on single use plastic bottles and returns via RVMs, the UK DRS will apply to all single use PET plastic bottles and aluminium and steel drinks cans between 150ml to 3 litres. It will also facilitate other return options such as manual takeback – all with the aim of reducing litter and supporting a circular economy.
Hannah Cornick, Danone North Europe Sustainability and Social Impact Director, said:
“As Danone celebrates the bicentenary of its iconic evian® brand, we continue to focus on offering healthy hydration in the most sustainable way. Circularity is a core commitment of our Impact Journey strategy, and we are proud to support The All England Lawn Tennis Club and Exchange for Change in delivering this first-of-its-kind pilot ahead of the UK Deposit Return Scheme’s national rollout next year.
This initiative allows us to gather tangible feedback to support retailers and Exchange for Change in preparing for DRS, while demonstrating how circular systems can work effectively in practice.”
