The Pallet LOOP ramps up production for May roll out

The Pallet LOOP, a member of BSW Group, today announced it is manufacturing tens of thousands of its distinctive bright green, circular economy pallets in readiness for them entering the building materials supply chain from May. The news follows the landmark announcement, last week, that British Gypsum is to become the first building products manufacturer to transport its materials on LOOP pallets.

British Gypsum – one of the most respected brands in British construction – will start distributing its bagged plaster and accessories on The Pallet LOOP’s green coloured pallets in May; with products from its plasterboard range set to follow in July.

To build its pallet pool, The Pallet LOOP is working with fellow BSW Group member Scott Pallets, which has pallet production sites at strategic locations around the UK. Pallets are being produced at three sites – York, Burton, and Peterborough – and fitted with RFID tags, which will enable pallet tracking.

Ahead of its instantly identifiable green pallets hitting the supply chain, The Pallet LOOP is encouraging all pallet recipients to sign up for its collections service by emailing: setmeup@thepalletloop.com. Signing up for pallet collections is simple and will enable registered companies to access a PayBack of up to £4 for every green pallet they put back in the LOOP. In parallel, The Pallet LOOP will be continuing its collection of white pallets, which is significantly cheaper than disposing of pallets via a wood skip. The Pallet LOOP’s white pallet collection service is already up and running nationwide with many large housebuilders and principal contractors already using the scheme.

Steve Ottaway, operations director at The Pallet LOOP, said: “We are now on the cusp of a major change in the way that building materials are delivered to merchants and building sites around the UK – and are grateful to British Gypsum for showing leadership and becoming the first adopter of our circular economy scheme. Over the last few years, we’ve been liaising with key players throughout UK construction to discuss the benefits of switching to a more sustainable pallet distribution model. From the outset, everyone agreed change was needed and that the current linear way of working is out of kilter with the industry’s net carbon zero and zero waste objective. Change is now definitely on its way, and we can’t wait to see our green, branded pallets reaching and being recovered from building sites, merchant yards and distribution centres nationwide.”

Scott Grant, managing director at Scott Pallets, said: “This is a huge step for the construction industry, and underlines the power of collaboration. By working together we can significantly reduce waste, save money and achieve our sustainability targets. British Gypsum have showcased a real commitment to drive positive change, and we are fully committed to maintaining the momentum. We have full confidence in the LOOP model, especially with the backing of Scott Pallets and the wider BSW Group, who are determined to realise the potential of the business.”