Fentimans chief executive Ian Bray has cautioned that the government’s glass tax could “destroy” the company as he claimed it “hasn’t been thought through”.

The 120-year-old botanical drinks maker, whose portfolio includes Fentimans Rose Lemonade, Curiosity Cola and Ginger Beer, primarily sells its products in glass bottles.

Bray said: “Fentimans has been selling quality soft drinks since 1905. It would be tragic if this inequitable policy destroyed our business after 120 years just because it hasn’t been thought through,” reported The Times.

His comments join others in the brewers and soft drink industry, which say the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s proposed new “extended producer responsibility” tax will add an additional £300 per tonne cost to recycling glass.

The British Beer and Pub Association estimate this figure will add between 3p and 7p to each of the 3.2 billion beer bottles  in the UK every year, a total of £84m to £212m, and an increase of 8% to 21%.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

It is understood industry leaders have written to environmental secretary Steve Reed to ask the government to rethink the policy.

It has also created inner-industry tensions, with soft drinks made from aluminium cans and plastic bottles given an extra two years before the deposit return scheme is introduced in October 2027 and subject to waste policy costs.

A Defra spokeswoman said: “Extended producer responsibility for packaging is a vital first step in cracking down on waste as we move towards a circular economy and we have always been clear these fees are our initial estimates.

“In line with our collaborative approach…we are continuing to meet the glass industry to discuss more workable approaches, including for how we calculate the cost of glass.”