More big construction names sign The Pallet LOOP’s charter

More companies have stepped up to sign The Pallet LOOP’s charter – committing to explore how a circular economy pallet scheme could benefit their business, the environment, and UK construction as a whole. Marshalls, SISK, Countryside, Tobermore and the Wolseley Group are among the latest organisations to get in the LOOP and throw their support behind the team that is working to reduce the consumption of single-use pallets and switch the sector to a distribution model founded on the principles of recover, repair and reuse.

News of The Pallet LOOP’s launch has been warmly received across the construction sector as companies throughout the building materials supply chain look to step up their sustainability efforts. In November, The Pallet LOOP announced its plans to transform the distribution of building materials nationwide. Due for operational roll out later this year, The Pallet LOOP’s aim is to eliminate avoidable pallet waste in the construction by incentivising pallet returns via a cost-effective, easy-to-use, deposit-based system. Estimates suggest that up to 10% of the construction waste stream is currently made up of pallets, which is costly from both a financial and an environmental perspective.

Phil Dent, CEO at The Pallet LOOP, said: “With sustainability now top of the agenda for most companies across construction, the launch of The Pallet LOOP is incredibly timely. The last year has seen a tangible shift in how we all think about the environment. Businesses and consumers now recognise what needs to be done to get climate change under control – and realise it can’t happen in isolation. That theme leaps out from the conversations we’ve been having. As with safety, there is a consensus that we can’t compete on sustainability and that we need to work together to drive change. As we move towards the roll out of our green pallets later this year, we look forward to continuing our work with all of our signatories, wider industry stakeholders and trade associations.”

Every year an estimated 18 million pallets are manufactured for the UK construction industry, with less than 10% currently reused. The Pallet LOOP is on a mission to change this. Delivering a more sustainable pallet distribution model, which is greener and leaner, the scheme is aligned with environmental targets set for the sector by UK Government, and the growing desire and need for businesses to adopt circular economy practices that are more environmentally friendly.

For more information: www.thepalletloop.com