Latest news with #DepositReturnScheme
Irish Independent
29-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Cider maker C&C hopes for a long hot summer as shares rise and annual profits hit €77m
But the company has warned that consumer confidence in the UK and Ireland 'remains subdued' and the prospect of US tariffs 'add further uncertainty'. Revenue at the group, which also owns brands including Tennent's, Orchard Pig and Five Lamps, was flat at €1.66bn for the year ended February 28. Its pre-exceptional operating profit jumped 29pc to €77.1m however, which was also in line with analysts' forecasts. The drinks firm saw Tennent's and Bulmers secure market share gains during the year, it noted. The key summer trading period lies ahead, and tourism always helps sales In Ireland, C&C said that on-trade volumes of long alcoholic drinks were in line with last year's numbers, with value growth of 9pc that reflected pricing activity and growth. 'The market saw a shift towards stout, premium beer and ready-to-drink categories, with standard lager and cider seeing share declines,' it added. 'Positively, tourism provided a welcome tailwind to the industry, with international visitor spend estimated to have increased 13pc in the year.' In the off-trade sector, long alcoholic drink volumes fell 5pc (2pc by value). Cider category volume and value declined 6pc and 3pc respectively in the year. 'The large supermarket operators have responded with increased targeted advertising campaigns and deep discounting promotions as actions to stimulate category volume,' noted C&C. C&C also owns the Matthew Clark-Bibendum distribution business in the UK. It said the unit saw 'recovering customer momentum' in the year, with numbers of customers up 8pc. ADVERTISEMENT Despite the group's optimism for 2025, it said that total employment costs in the UK will rise in the coming year – due to the increase in Britain's national minimum wage, and in employer national insurance contributions. It said the planned Extended Producer Responsibility Levy in the UK, a tax on producers' packaging, will also have an impact. Tax and the Deposit Return Scheme that is already in effect in Ireland 'will cause further price inflation, as these costs and taxes are passed on to customers and consumers,' it said. 'With the key summer trading period ahead, we are executing our plans for the year, supporting our customers, investing in innovation and brand-building, people, and systems, whilst continuing to simplify the business and control costs,' said chief executive Roger White.
Extra.ie
28-05-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Recycling paid off: Man buys his dream home with bottle return cash
The Deposit Return Scheme can be a bit of a nuisance, but what if we told you it was possible to buy a home out of your earnings? Damian Gordon, 36, from New South Wales, Australia was able his two-bedroom house after seven years of saving his money earning from a similar initiative in Australia. The new homeowner began to take recycling seriously when he noticed so much rubbish on the beach during his walks. The Deposit Return Scheme can be a bit of a nuisance, but what if I told you it was possible to buy a house out of your earnings? Pic: Sam Boal/ Sharing his story on That's Life, he admitted he found it 'impossible to ignore' and was spurred on my the Return and Earn scheme in his area. The scheme paid out 10c for every can returned, as well as glass bottles and plastic containers. Damian recalled how he made it his mission to collect rubbish during his walks and then had the idea of going to festival grounds after the events to collect empties. Damian recalled how he made it his mission to collect rubbish during his walks and then had the idea of going to festival grounds after the events to collect empties. Pic: Shutterstock One 2017 festival saw Damian and other volunteers collecting 40,000 recyclable containers, resulting is an earning of $4,000 (€2,273). Realising he was making money from the scheme, Damian sought out to use the earnings for a house deposite and managed to save $20,000 (€11,369) within the first three years. Damian revealed the sum of earnings 'spurred' him on to continue with his endeavour. Damian has since bought his very own house with the savings from recycling along with a little bit extra. Pic: Shutterstock Last January marked seven years since Damian began his savings fund, earning $45,000 (€25,000) from it. Damian has since bought his very own house with the savings from recycling along with a little bit extra. He has been able to find other treasures out and about for his home such as a fridge, microwave and a juicer. The new homeowner has confirmed he doesn't plan on stopping collecting containers any time soon, noting mortgage repayments are 'coming hard and fast.' He told the publication he is now 'paying off my dream home, one bottle at a time.'
RTÉ News
28-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Operating profits at drinks group C&C fizz 28% higher
Drinks group C&C has reported higher profits and revenues for the year ended 28 February 2025 and said that current trading for the year ahead is encouraging. C&C manufactures, markets and distributes branded beer, cider, wine, spirits and soft drinks across Ireland and the UK. Its brands include Bulmers and Magners cider as well as Tennent's and Five Lamps beer. Its operating profit before exceptional items for the year jumped by 28.5% to £77.1m from £60m, while its net revenue edged up to £1.665 billion from £1.652 billion the previous year. Adjusted profits before tax for the year rose to £55.9m from £38.8m, and C&C has proposed a final dividend of 4.13 cent, up 4% on the previous year. C&C said it was seeing a "limited" tariff impact on trading and costs, adding that current trading was encouraging and it was making no change to the expected outturn for the financial year. But it noted total employment costs in the UK will grow in the coming year due to the increase in the National Minimum Wage and employer National Insurance contributions announced by the UK government in its October 2024 Budget. "The introduction of further legislative activity, such as the Extended Producer Responsibility Levy and the already introduced Deposit Return Scheme in Ireland, will cause further price inflation, as these costs and taxes are passed on to customers and consumers. "Against this backdrop, the focus on prudent management of our cost base, alongside ongoing plans to simplify the business and improve operating efficiency, combined with continued strong customer service, remain our operating priorities," it added. C&C said its Tennent's and Bulmers brands achieved market share gains during the year and maintained their market-leading positions. Its Magners brand relaunch is underway with initial Off-Trade gains, it added. Roger White, C&C's group chief executive, said the group has progressed on a number of fronts over the last year, despite the ongoing challenging macro and market backdrop. "Our two leading brands, Tennent's and Bulmers gained market share and we see future growth opportunities for both. Our Premium brand performance is encouraging, benefitting from ongoing consumer appeal for premium beer and cider which is driving growth in this segment," the CEO said. "Within Distribution, Matthew Clark Bibendum continued to deliver positive momentum, achieving consistently improved service levels, growing its customer base by 8%," he added. Mr White said that year to date trading is encouraging. "With the key summer trading period ahead, we are executing our plans for the year, supporting our customers, investing in innovation and brand-building, people, and systems, whilst continuing to simplify the business and control costs, he said. "We remain focussed on building a solid platform from which we can maximise the potential of the group. We are developing plans to grow sustainably whilst delivering on our financial targets, creating increased long-term shareholder value," he concluded.
The Journal
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Re-Turn says plastic-to-plastic bottle recycling in Ireland is not 'financially viable'
THE COMPANY OVERSEEING Ireland's Deposit Return Scheme has defended itself following criticism made in the Dáil claiming that almost 90% of the plastic that is collected is being 'needlessly' shipped around the world rather than recycled domestically. Scheme operator Re-Turn said the vast majority of the plastic currently has to be transported abroad because it has not been financially viable to recycle plastic bottles into new drink containers in Ireland. A spokesperson for the company said that Ireland 'does not have the facilities to fully recycle' plastic bottles and aluminium cans that are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material into new, 'food-safe' drink containers. It's because – until the scheme was established last year – there was no central operator handling recycled plastics and 'no facility in Ireland' can recycle a higher quality type of the raw material. But the company hopes that the Deposit Return Scheme is creating 'steady supply of high-quality' material, which it said is 'essential for setting up the necessary infrastructure in Ireland'. Re-Turn made its comments in response to a statement by Sinn Féin TD for Cavan Monaghan, Matt Carthy, who said this week that it was a 'scandal' that the vast majority of waste leaves Ireland as part of the recycling process. 'By June of this year 17,000 tonnes of plastic will have been collected under the scheme,' Carthy said. 'But only 3,400 of that will have been recycled in Ireland. That means that 88% of plastic collected under this 'environmental' scheme is actually being shipped off to locations across the world.' Carthy instead proposed a company in his own constituency of Cavan-Monaghan as being in a position to collect and recycle the material. Advertisement 'Creating local employment, contributing to the Irish economy – providing an environmentally sound point to recycle plastic collected in Ireland,' he added. The Deposit Return Scheme sees people pay extra for their drinks in bottles and cans but they can reclaim this afterwards in machines in supermarkets. In February , it hit a milestone of one billion returned drinks containers. Carthy said the amount shipped abroad was 'madness' and also 'ran contrary' to the environmental objective that the scheme is meant to address. The TD's office said he had received the figures from industry sources. When contacted by The Journal , Re-Turn did not dispute Carthy's figure of 88% plastic shipped abroad and outlined that most of the material currently goes to the UK and Europe. A spokesperson for Re-Turn said that Ireland 'does not have the facilities to fully recycle' plastic bottles and aluminium cans made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material into new, food-safe drink containers. The flakes from these recycled plastics are regarded as of higher quality and can be used as a raw material in various industries for creating new products, such as polyester fibres, new bottles or packaging materials. 'A key step in fully recycling PET plastic bottles is turning them into food-grade plastic pellets, but no facility in Ireland can currently do this,' the Re-Turn spokesperson told The Journal . The spokesperson added that while some facilities in Ireland can partially recycle plastic from the Deposit Return Scheme by processing it into PET flakes, the machinery required to turn these flakes into new drink bottles are not currently in operation in Ireland. This means that the 'majority of material is sent to fully licensed recycling facilities in Europe and the UK', the spokesperson said. 'The best way to change this is by making local bottle to bottle recycling financially viable. The Deposit Return Scheme is contributing to this by ensuring a steady supply of high-quality recylate material, which is essential for setting up the necessary infrastructure in Ireland and meeting EU recycling targets,' the Re-Turn spokesperson said. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Jennifer Zamparelli breaks silence about being tipped to host Liveline on RTE
TV star Jennifer Zamparelli has said she would be "mad" not to consider taking over Liveline - but confirmed RTÉ bosses have not contacted her about replacing Joe Duffy. The Dubliner is hot favourite to take over the coveted RTÉ Radio 1 slot after Mr Duffy steps down on June 27 after 27 years at the helm on the show. But Jen broke her silence on the rumours – saying she hasn't been contacted but if she was, she would be 'mad' not to consider the job. She said: 'I don't know. I'm too busy on holiday. I haven't got any calls. I've been getting many calls, but not from, not from that department as of yet. 'But who knows? I think you'd be mad not to consider, you'd be so scared to take on that role. But you'd need full approval by Joe. Otherwise, you wouldn't have a chance in hell.' But the Dancing With The Stars host questioned if Liveline could go on without him. 'I was in Porto (for Duffy's announcement). I don't know if Liveline can go on without him, that's the thing. 'You know, there's a new head of audio, and they're great for shaking things up,' said the mother-of-two. Jen told us she was 'devastated' when she heard Duffy had announced his retirement last week. She said: 'I am just so devastated, like, I know he was talking about it, and it's time, and he's done so many years, and he wants to get his life back a little bit, but it's just devastating for the public, because Joe is one of the kindest human beings on the planet. 'He paints cards and sends you a little Christmas card and it's just the sweetest thing, and they always come at the right time. 'It's very easy when you've been in the business a while to kind of get caught up in your own bullshit but he's very considerate to new talent and new people that come through the door, and he's very aware of that, and he's very encouraging, and could be a bit of a mentor, and is very supportive - and that's rare in this business. 'I'll always appreciate kind words, the support, the encouragement that he's given me over the years, but he's just, he's just amazing at what he does, you know, and he'll be, he'll be really missed. 'My mam was nearly in tears watching the Late Late Show. He's an institution.' Jen was speaking at the launch of Re-turn's 'Small Town, Big Difference' campaign, which is calling on community groups, clubs and schools across Ireland to share the inspiring stories of how they are making a big difference in their local area through the deposit return scheme. The ten best stories will receive a €2,000 donation for their local initiative. From these winners, five will be selected to star in a local media campaign that celebrates the big difference that the smallest of donations can make. Speaking about the campaign, Jen said: "I believe that communities are the backbone of our society, so I am absolutely delighted to work with Re-turn to celebrate all the amazing work that is happening across the country and to hear how local initiatives are using the Deposit Return Scheme to make a big difference in their area. 'We really want entries from as many local groups as possible – big or small – so whether you're a knitting circle with a cause, a local dance troupe or sports club champions, we want to hear from you.' Local community groups have until 5pm on 6 June to submit their story on the webpage.
