Beer-making company Red Stripe has said that a bottle deposit charge on the sale of beer and some other glass bottle beverages by retailers is fully refundable.

“It is not a tax, it is a refundable deposit to customers and as such, we encourage retailers to pay out the full deposit value of $30 when the bottles are returned to them. At Red Stripe we pay the full deposit value for all bottles that are returned to us,” said Sean Wallace, commercial director at Red Stripe, in responding to recent queries from the Jamaica Observer.

He further told the Business Observer that the measure, introduced since September forms part of other strategies crafted to combat the slow return of glass bottles following a global shortage and difficulty to source new glass materials since the novel coronavirus pandemic, is to be viewed as a deposit charge which is usually applied at the point of purchase which can thereafter be refunded once the bottles are returned.

Approximately 93 per cent of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages distributed and sold by Red Stripe are supplied in returnable glass bottles which the company exclusively sources from overseas. Some of the most popular products it bottles include Red Stripe lager and light beers, Guinness, Heineken, Smirnoff Ice, Malta and Dragon Stout.

Responding to queries about a reported shortage of crates, the company further said that even as packaging and raw material shortages continue to affect manufacturers and have in some instances also resulted in intermittent out-of-stock on crates throughout the year, they are currently not affected by any shortage in this area.

“Increasing our Red-cycling efforts through our ‘Bring Dem Back’ campaign and other associated efforts, we have been encouraging customers to routinely return the crates and/or bottles that they have in their possession,” Wallace said.

Having increased the payment on empties to $30 for each bottle returned and $840 per crate, up from $20 and $600 paid previously, the company is likewise hoping to spark a shift in mindset as it promotes a buy-drink-return culture among consumers of its beverages.”

Coupled with the roll-out of these initiatives, the company has seen an increase in the level of returns. The beer maker had long said that glass bottle can be reused up to six times within the production cycle without losing its quality or purity.

With Red Stripe’s parent company Heineken delivering over £26 billion in revenues at the end of its last financial year, the local subsidiary said it remains focused on growing sales in the market while making every effort to keep supplies going, backed by the roll-out of new and improved products.

“Our consumers can look forward to enjoying our great products and exciting innovations in 2023 and beyond,” Wallace stated.