The Pallet LOOP joins BSW Group and takes on Williamson

Pallet recycling operation The Pallett Loop has joined the BSW Group, following the latter’s acquisition of Scott Pallets, and appointed experienced industry director Andy Williamson s director of business development. The move also sees The Pallet LOOP become a member of Binderholz – Europe’s leading timber processing operation.

Paul Lewis will stay at the helm of The Pallet LOOP as founder and managing director, working to roll out the innovative business to business pallet distribution and collection model that will shift the construction sector away from the current pallet practice of ‘deliver, distribute and discard’ to the more sustainable principles of ‘recover, repair, reuse.’

Ahead of the roll out of its green pallets, The Pallet LOOP is also announcing changes to its operating model, which are designed to benefit the entire building materials supply chain.To incentivise returns, The Pallet LOOP will now be offering registered return partners – typically merchants, distributors, principal contractors, and housebuilding companies – a PayBack of up to £4 for every green pallet they put back in the LOOP. This financial incentive, which recognises best practice, will be in addition to the waste cost savings that those who receive pallets (end users – including general builders) will gain from the service. Holistically, The Pallet LOOP is designed to work out significantly more cost efficient than the current default approach, which sees the vast majority of pallets disposed of via wood skips after just one trip through the building materials supply chain*

In doing so, The Pallet LOOP will be able to leverage BSW Group’s integrated supply chain capabilities, which span all aspects of timber production and processing from seed innovation and tree nurseries to forestry management and harvesting, sawmilling, timber product manufacturing, and carbon offsetting.

Williamson, former commercial director of SIG PLC, has been working with the team for the last six months as a Non-Executive Director. He now comes on board to help amplify the company’s voice and progress conversations with key players throughout the construction sector about the circular economy scheme. He says: “I am incredibly excited about helping The Pallet LOOP as it works to transform the delivery of building materials nationwide – for the better.  UK construction has some major challenges to address if it is to hit its decarbonisation targets. To help the Government deliver on its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050, our sector really must start doing things differently. As major deadlines hurtle down the tracks towards us, innovative companies like The Pallet LOOP will become increasingly pivotal – providing a practical alternative to working practices that clearly need up updating and an easy pathway to achieving environmental improvements on the scale required. I look forward to working with Paul and the team as the business ramps up its work.”

Lewis said: “Andy understood the aims and objectives of The Pallet LOOP from the outset. An early advocate of our approach, he’s championed our business from the outside. Now, as part of the team, he’ll be able to amplify our voice even further – helping us progress conversations with key stakeholders throughout the building materials supply chain. Personally, and professionally, I’m grateful to Andy for his support. As a team, we are delighted he is joining us as we work to get the sector in the LOOP and reduce the carbon footprint of construction.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time at The Pallet LOOP. We are on the cusp of delivering a widespread shift in how building materials are moved around the UK. With a range of green pallets that are engineered to be used again and again, and a nationwide pallet collection service, The Pallet LOOP is designed to have a positive financial and environmental impact. We are grateful that BSW have recognised the inherent value in our model and delighted to be part of a fully integrated supply chain that is committed to unlocking the full potential of timber, sustaining long-term growth for the construction industry and building a more sustainable world. I’d also like to thank Andy for his support and advocacy of our work. It’s great to have him.”

Mike Faulkner, Commercial Director at BSW Group, said: “We’re delighted to welcome LOOP as a member of BSW and Binderholz. A staggering 20m pallets are manufactured for the UK construction industry every year, but less than 10% of these are currently reused. As a major supplier into this sector, we want to do what we can to change this. Our values at BSW are aligned with those of LOOP, and we’re incredibly excited to drive positive change by incentivising customers to reduce waste and reuse pallets. We’ve already been impressed by the growth and commitment of the business and are keen to build on the great work that Paul and his team have started. LOOP perfectly slots into BSW’s circular business model and we can’t wait to get going.”