We’re proud to announce that The Pallet LOOP has been shortlisted for a prestigious sustainability award. The business is in the running for a 2025 edie Award in the Circular Economy Innovation of the Year category.
Now in its 18th year, the edie Awards honour organisations that have demonstrated exceptional innovation and are creating value through the development of sustainable solutions designed to reduce waste and promote resource efficiency.
The Pallet LOOP’s shortlisting highlights the company’s efforts to reduce unnecessary pallet waste across UK construction by recovering and repairing a range of robust, reusable pallets that have been designed with reuse in mind. In May 2024, the business issued its first reusable timber pallets with the support and sustainable leadership of British Gypsum, one of the largest users of pallets in the sector. This month, Isover is following suit, shipping its insulation products on LOOP’s distinctive, green-coloured pallets. Once these pallets reach their final destination, the recipients – typically builders’ merchants, principal contractors and housebuilding companies – can contact The Pallet LOOP to get them picked up. The Pallet LOOP operates a nationwide pallet collection service that will recover green and white pallets and provide a PayBack of up to £4 for every green pallet that gets put back into its LOOP.
Nathan Wride, Head of Partnerships & Innovation at The Pallet LOOP, said: “Waste is no longer just an inconvenience; it’s a clear sign of inefficiency and environmental harm. In today’s world, where resources are finite and sustainability is critical, we must see waste for what it truly is – a problem we can no longer afford to ignore. The future is circular – defined by systems where materials are reused, recycled, and kept in circulation, reducing waste and preserving resources for future generations.”
“The construction industry has been crying out for a different approach to pallets for years. We are delighted with the results we’ve achieved in the six months since our green pallets went live. Together with British Gypsum, we’ve put so much effort into getting this new way of working off the ground. As we redefine norms when it comes to pallets, edie’s acknowledgement of our endeavours is a great way to end a momentous year. We look forward to the awards ceremony in March.”
Since its launch, The Pallet LOOP estimates it has:
• Saved the construction sector around 250 tonnes of carbon
• Diverted up to 2,500 tonnes of wood waste from skips
• Saved around 5,000 m3 of timber
• Saved companies returning pallets almost £1 million in skip costs*.
Via its PayBack mechanism, The Pallet LOOP has also given out more than £150k to companies returning its pallets – money that can ultimately be used to fund social or environmental initiatives or boost the returning company’s bottom line. *
Pallets are the backbone of building material distribution around the world, but their disposal has proved problematic for decades – with millions discarded year after year.
Offering a more sustainable alternative, The Pallet LOOP is encouraging a shift in behaviour by:
• Providing a range of bright green timber pallets, which are easily identifiable, stamped with the LOOP logo and armed with radio frequency tags to support tracking and reporting
• Offering a nationwide pallet collection service that will pick up pallets from building sites and builders’ merchants around the country in as little as 72 hours
• Incentivising pallet returns; using The Pallet LOOP’s collections service, companies can earn up to £4 for each green pallet put back in the LOOP for reuse.
Winners of the 2025 edie Awards will be announced at a gala dinner in March 2025 in London – where leaders from different industries will gather to celebrate the future of sustainable business.
Footnote:
Numbers were obtained from The Pallet LOOP’s Power BI and reporting platform at the start of December.
