Companies across UK construction can claim a share of more than £1.5 million1 (GBP) by returning bright green LOOP pallets for reuse, according to figures from The Pallet LOOP, a circular economy pallet reuse scheme for the construction sector that’s part of BSW Group.
In its first six months, The Pallet LOOP has issued more than 450,0002 of its green, reusable pallets to British Gypsum to transport its bagged plaster and plasterboard products. With a financial incentive of up to £43 available on each of these pallets, when companies return them, says The Pallet LOOP, there is now a huge pot of money available for businesses throughout the building materials supply chain that sign up for these collections.
A growing number of companies are already said to be using the collection service. To date, the group said it has paid out around £150k4 to users of the scheme including builder’s merchants, principal contractors and housebuilding companies – and it says the number of pallets being returned is growing. In October, the number of green pallets that the firm collected was around 30% of the number it issued that month.5 This figure exceeds previous benchmarks for standard pallet return rates in the construction sector, says the company, which have historically hovered around the 10% mark.6
In addition to claiming up to £4 back for every green pallet returned, companies using The Pallet LOOP could be saving a lot of money on waste costs, explains this latest announcement, while also cutting their carbon footprint and helping to reduce the unnecessary waste of a precious natural resource. So far, according to the firm, it estimates it has saved companies returning pallets up to £800k on skip costs.7 Putting pallets in wood skips can cost up to £8 per pallet.8 Put that money together with this scheme, and companies using The Pallet LOOP could be up to £12 better off for every pallet that gets recovered for reuse – further increasing the financial incentive.
Explaining more, Paul Lewis, Founder of The Pallet LOOP, said: “Getting a financial reward for returning pallets, and saving on waste costs is good news for merchants, principal contractors and housebuilding companies up and down the country as they face fresh operational headwinds and get to grips with changes coming into force as part of the recent budget. From the start, our model was designed to be financially equitable for everyone in the building materials supply chain, as well as better for the environment. What we’ve achieved in the first six months shows our vision is now a reality. Companies returning green LOOP pallets are getting a real boost to their bottom line. They can also access sustainability data relating to the number of pallets they have returned via our Power Bi platform. We are delighted with the progress made to date. But this is just the start – with more LOOP pallets set to hit the sector in the year ahead.”
“From December, Isover will start moving its insulation materials on our circular economy pallets. We’re also in advanced discussions with other building material manufacturers that want to follow Saint Gobain’s sustainable leadership and switch to using LOOP. By the end of 2025, we estimate we will have issued more than 2.5 million LOOP pallets – creating a PayBack pot of up to £10 million. If you are a company in construction, and you haven’t done so already, now is the time to get in the LOOP and start sending back green pallets.”
Signing up to The Pallet LOOP is easy. All companies need to do is register with LOOP, store pallets, book a collection and then watch the benefits stack up. The Pallet LOOP will also pick up white pallets (charges apply). To register for LOOP collections, email: setmeup@thepalletloop.com or call: 0800 024 6130. Once registered, companies can book a collection via: collections@thepalletloop.com.
The disposal of pallets has proved problematic in the construction sector for decades. Every year more than 20 million new pallets are manufactured to transport building materials – the majority of which get skipped or scrapped after just one use*. With a range of robust pallets designed to be used again and again, a nationwide pallet collection service, and a clear financial incentive on offer, The Pallet LOOP offers a greener, leaner, safer and smarter way to move building materials – that’s better for business, and better for the planet. Further information about The Pallet LOOP is available at: www.thepalletloop.com
Notes
1. Figures based on 450,000 LOOP pallets issued x up to £4 less LOOP payback
2. The Pallet LOOP pays up to £4 back for each green LOOP pallet returned for reuse – subject to pallet condition. Pallets that are damaged or need cleaning trigger a PayBack of £2.
3. Pallets issued up to the end of October 2024 = 450,000.
4. Actual LOOP PayBack credited for pallets returned to date (up to mid-November) = ~£150,000.
5. The October 2024 pallet return rate of 30% relates to LOOP’s standard construction sector pallet (for bagged product).
6. Estimates suggest pallet reuse in the UK construction sector has historically sat around the 10% mark.
7. Based on LOOP and white pallet collections.
8. The Pallet LOOP estimates 40 x pallets will fit in a 12-yard skip, at an average cost of £320 = £8 per pallet
