Scott Pallets Platform Spring 2024

Green pallets in production now

Tens of thousands of distinctive green Pallet Loop pallets are in production now at Scott Pallets in preparation for launching into the building materials supply chain in May.

The pallets, being produced at three sites – York, Burton and Peterborough – are fitted with RFID tags to enable tracking throughout the supply chain.

Earlier this month, British Gypsum announced that it is to become the first building products manufacturer to transport its materials on LOOP’s pallets.

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 has 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.”

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. During 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 pallets reaching and being recovered from building sites, merchant yards and distribution centres nationwide.”

Dean O’Sullivan, Managing Director at British Gypsum, part of Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions, said: “Pallets left behind after products have been removed have for a long time created a challenge, with many being unsustainably disposed of at a heavy environmental cost. By joining forces with The Pallet LOOP, we aim to significantly reduce this practice.”

Registering for collections with The Pallet LOOP is easy. Companies interested in using the service and benefiting from the LOOP pallet PayBack of up to £4 per green pallet, should email setmeup@thepalletloop.com to get started.

Users will receive access to a special reporting platform, where they can view and download information about the number of pallets returned and the money saved on collections versus disposal via a skip. The system also provides information about the amount of carbon saved and trees repurposed, which can be used in sustainability reporting.

Find out more at www.thepalletloop.com

John Dye appointed to NWPCA Board

The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) announced the 2024/2025 Board of Directors during its annual leadership conference which was hosted recently in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

We’re proud to let you know that our Technical & Industry Affairs Director, John Dye, has been appointed to the Board.

Jeff Lewis, the newly appointed Board Chair, said: “I am deeply honoured to serve as NWPCA Chair for the upcoming term. Having served on the Board for over eight years, I have gained valuable insights into the diverse challenges faced by our members. Together, we have navigated these challenges and seized opportunities that have significantly influenced our industry’s trajectory.”

Lewis added: “Eight years ago, NWPCA adopted a strategic plan that prioritised the organisation to ‘achieve and sustain worldwide acceptance as the thought and information leader on wood packaging in unit-load solutions.’ Thanks to our current and past board members and executive leaders, we have achieved that and plan to chart a course for the next decade this year.

“I am excited about what lies ahead for this industry. By working together, sharing knowledge, and embracing innovation, we can overcome challenges and build a sustainable future for the wood packaging sector.”

John added: “It is an incredible honour to be elected by my industry peers, and I look forward to working with the rest of the Board, representing the industry in this role. It is so important as Jeff quite rightly points out, that we work and share information in these particularly challenging times due to the global economy, PPWR and EUDR affecting all manufacturers, traders, poolers, and our customers.”

Reconditioned pallets in stock

Reconditioned, used or second-hand pallets are a vital part of the mix for many pallet users, and are critical to our offering of a complete, sustainable pallet solution.

Supply chain security is critical, and we have worked hard to develop strong relationships with major suppliers of used pallets from developing sectors. Combined with our experience in navigating the peaks and troughs in demand, and our strategic national network of 13 reconditioned pallet sites, we aim to ensure our customers are never let down with supply. We have a comprehensive range of pallet specifications in stock and for sale at all times.

Find out more at: www.scottgroupltd.com /pallets/reconditioned-pallets

Customer Survey You spoke, we listened.

Our industry knowledge and leadership are rated as excellent but we recognise you’d like us to be more active about sharing information.

Product quality was rated very good or excellent by all

Our survey tells us that our technical team is potentially an under-utilised customer resource. Did you know we have a team of 5 dedicated technical experts in-house?

What differentiates us?

75%

of respondents rated our approach to the environment and sustainability as very good or excellent but we need to improve our formal communications in this area.

The people, our knowledge, the quality of our products, national coverage, scale and ability to support high volumes, approach to sustainability, reliability - security of supply.

More than

Our customers describe us as

80% knowledgeable, collaborative, reliable, efficient, professional, high quality

of respondents commented that we are very easy to do business with.

We’re aiming for 100% so let us know how we can do better.

TONY HACKNEY RETIRES

Together, we deliver more. Customer focus is rated as good to excellent by all

BSW Group’s UK Chairman, Tony Hackney, officially retired at the end of March 2024, following a 30-year career in the timber sector.

Tony, a hugely respected figure across the entire timber supply chain, had been the figurehead of BSW for more than 15 years, having joined as Chief Executive Officer n late 2008 and stepping into the role of UK Chairman last year.

Under Tony’s leadership, BSW achieved unprecedented growth with turnover increasing from approximately £100m annually to more than £900m, including numerous strategic acquisitions – one of which being Scott Pallets in 2022.

The organic growth and acquisitions developed the BSW Group into a fully integrated, multifaceted, circular business with a complex offering of products and services.

Together,

deliver more.

Tony said: “Leading BSW through challenging times has been a fantastic experience. I would like to thank all of my colleagues and friends across the UK, Latvia and Slovenia for their extraordinary efforts in developing BSW during my period of stewardship. I have valued very highly the relationships with our loyal customers and suppliers and again thank them for their support. I wish you all every success in the future.”

We wholeheartedly thank Tony for his leadership and contribution to our business and wish him our very best for the future.

CHEMUK 2024

We’re attending CHEMUK on 14th and 15th May 2024 at the NEC in Birmingham – find us at stand E109.

The event is supported by many of the UK’s primary chemical industry’s trade, technical and innovation exchange associations and bodies, and the programme brings together experts from across the sector to discuss the latest challenges, opportunities and innovations affecting today’s chemical industries.

We’re looking forward to it. See you there?

Environmental Packaging Live

We’re proud to announce that we’ll be sponsoring the Sustainable Retailer of the Year category at the Environmental Packaging Awards 2024.

To locate your nearest Scott Group supplier please visit: scottgroupltd.com

These awards recognise brands and retailers committed to sustainability and using packaging to reduce their impact on the environment.

In line with our values to be responsible and our on-going commitment to sustainability, we chose to support the Sustainable Retailer category because this award will recognise a retailer that is committed to sustainability and using packaging to reduce its impact on the environment.

The awards take place on 26th June 2024 as part of the Environmental Packaging Live Summit at the Park Plaza Victoria in London.