The Scottish Secretary Alister Jack has reportedly called for the Scottish Government to axe its introduction of the deposit return scheme.
The flagship SNP/Greens initiative is aimed at increasing recycling via a 20p deposit on single-use drinks bottles and cans.
Companies are required to register for the scheme by March 1 ahead of its planned launch on August 16 this year.
Jack's call comes days after leading lawyer Aidan O'Neill KC warned Holyrood ministers may have to delay it until the launch of a UK-wide scheme in 2025.
SNP MSP Fergus Ewing also called on the scheme to be paused last week.
Jack told the Scottish Daily Mail: "We should create a UK-wide system as that is the best way to maximise environmental benefits and minimise disruption to the drinks industry.
"The introduction of a deposit return scheme (DRS) is a complex and challenging piece of work. It is not too late to think again and so I am calling on the Scottish Government to pause its scheme."
Under the deposit return scheme, every Scottish producer will have to add a 20p to every product before it is sold anywhere in the country. The charge is passed on to retailers and in turn to customers who can claim cash back for every returned bottle or can.
But there are fears the extra costs for businesses will have a "major negative impact" on Scotland's many independent breweries and distilleries.
In his legal opinion, O'Neill said he believed there were "well-founded" concerns that the scheme would create a trade barrier between Scotland and England.
The top KC warned the scheme could contravene the UK Internal Market Act passed in the wake of Brexit. O'Neill also warned that the regulations could not be enforced for single-use packaged drinks imported into Scotland from elsewhere in the UK, which would disadvantage Scottish producers.
MSP for Inverness and Nairn Ewing called on the First Minister to halt the deposit return scheme last week amid fears it will send drinks producers to the wall.
The former Scottish Government minister spoke out after reports that 600 firms across the country had shared concerns about the impact of the flagship environmental policy.
Speaking at First Minister's Questions on Thursday, Ewing said: "Many of the 600 businesses are in state of fear and despair. Some will close and some will fail - others will no longer sell their own produce in their own country of Scotland.
"Unless halted now, this scheme - which most businesses believe to be fatally flawed - will damage the reputation of Scotland as a place to do business.
"First Minister, will you instruct a pause of this disaster of a scheme before it becomes a catastrophe?
"And will you order a thorough and independent review of how better to achieve its aims, and exclude glass from the scope?"
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