Everything You Need to Know About Registering Your Container/Brand with Encorp
Who should register beverage containers with Encorp?
Under the BC Recycling Regulation, every “ready-to-drink” beverage container sold in BC must be accounted for and registered within the Return-It system. Who is responsible for registering a beverage container depends on where it was produced and who is selling it.
Beverages produced in BC
For beverages produced in British Columbia and sold in a container, the manufacturer of that beverage is responsible for registering the container and providing monthly sales reporting to Encorp.
Note: Some retailers/distributors are taking on the responsibility of registering and reporting sales on behalf of a manufacturer. If this applies to you, there must be a Remittance Relationship Agreement in place between the two parties which must be filed with Encorp.
Remittance agreements only apply to the retailer/distributor with whom you have an agreement with, meaning if you are a manufacturer producing beverages in BC and selling them through multiple retailers or direct to consumers, you are still responsible for registering and reporting sales on those products even if they are the same beverages / containers sold through a remittance agreement.
For beverages produced in BC, the manufacturer is responsible for registering and providing sales reporting to Encorp (unless in a Remittance Relationship Agreement)
Beverages produced outside of BC
For beverages produced outside of British Columbia and sold in a container in BC, the importer or retailer/distributor bringing the containers into BC for resale is responsible for registering the container and providing monthly sales reporting to Encorp. In some cases the beverage container being imported may already be registered with Encorp, regardless if that container has already been registered by another company, if you are importing a beverage container into BC for resale, it must be registered and linked to your organization and you must report the sales information to Encorp.
For beverages produced outside of BC, the importer or retailer/distributor bringing the beverage container into BC for resale is responsible for registering and providing sales reporting to Encorp.
When your company has signed up with Encorp, you will be assigned a unique entity profile account and Return-It registration number ensuring compliance with the BC Recycling Regulation.
To register beverage containers sold in BC, please use the Return-It online registration platform. If you have forgotten your company registration ID, reach out to the Brand Registry team.
If you have any questions, need clarification or are unsure if you need to register your container, please contact the Brand Registry team at brandregistry@returnit.ca
Keeping registrations up to date
For producers, it’s important to keep the containers you have registered with Encorp up to date to ensure compliance with the BC Recycling Regulation. Every “ready-to-drink” beverage container sold in BC must be accounted for and registered within the Return-It system. Changes such as material type, volume, label or UPC require updates to your registered container.
Keeping registrations up to date also includes items that have been discontinued. If you plan to deactivate a container, be aware that it will remain active in the system for two years after the entered stop sales date.
For retailers, before putting a product on store shelves for sale, you should confirm with Return-It to ensure that beverage container is not only registered in the system but registered with that producer. A container may be registered in the Return-It system, but it also needs to be registered to the company you are purchasing the beverage container from. Containers that have not been registered in the Return-It system will be refused at Return-It depots and customers will be directed back to the store they purchased the container.
Keeping container registrations up to date ensures compliance, smooth operations, and customer satisfaction.