BSW Group and subsidiary member The Pallet LOOP have both been shortlisted for the prestigious British Business Awards 2025 – with each company nominated in separate categories for their outstanding contributions to sustainability.
BSW Group, a member of Binderholz, has been shortlisted in the Socially Responsible Business of the Year category, while The Pallet LOOP is one of eight companies in the running for Green Business of the Year at the event, which will take place in Edinburgh at the end of April.
The British Business Awards (sponsored by NatWest) recognise the best of British business while raising funds for those most in need. This year the awards are aiming to raise £1 million for homelessness charity Social Bite via a fundraising lunch at Gleneagles Hotel and an awards dinner at the EICC. The awards dinner will be attended by up to 2000 business leaders and feature a fireside chat and rare, unplugged music performance from the iconic musician and activist Sting. The evening will be hosted by comedian and TV star, Rob Brydon, and feature a keynote address from the event’s patron Sir Bob Geldof.
Alan Jope CBE, former CEO of Unilever and Chair of the judging panel, said: “In spite of the economic headwinds facing British businesses, our incredible shortlist shows that leading British companies are thriving and in turn are powering the economy and job creation through their hard work and resilience. It came across loud and clear from the hundreds of entries we received for the awards that businesses are having to innovate and adapt like never before. It’s been inspirational to see the incredible work that’s going on behind the scenes in companies of all shapes and sizes across the UK.”
Alan Milne, Chief Operating Officer at BSW Group, said: “Being shortlisted for these two prestigious awards reflects our commitment to sustainable business practices, and our desire to drive positive change throughout the entire timber supply chain. From tree saplings and forest management to timber products and circular economy pallets, we aim to be the most innovative, technologically advanced and sustainable timber business in the UK.”
The Socially Responsible Business of the Year award celebrates businesses that prioritise their responsibility to the environment, local communities and wider world. BSW Group is the UK’s largest forestry and timber group, using its scale, flexibility and capabilities to forge an integrated supply chain that unlocks the full potential of timber.
Every year, the Group markets 35 million saplings through Maelor Forest Nurseries. Its Tilhill Forestry business, meanwhile, has planted a billion trees to date and represents 25% of all UK-managed forestry. Another area of the Group, BSW Timber, is the country’s largest sawmilling company – producing sustainably-sourced British timber products alongside sister business BSW Timber Solutions.
BSW Group’s vast sustainability credentials are further supported through its relationship with parent company Binderholz, the largest timber processing operation in Europe. Through innovation, Binderholz are reshaping how timber can be optimised in the built environment, with the likes of cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (Glulam) now used to construct offices, flats, transport hubs and schools around us. It is these products that are used in the 27-storey Burj Zanzibar – the highest timber building in Africa – and the new Under Armour head office in Baltimore, demonstrating that change can happen today, and opening new opportunities for UK construction.
The Green Business of the Year award honours companies that have demonstrated exceptional leadership in accomplishing environmental objectives alongside their business goals. The Pallet LOOP, part of BSW Group, is on a mission to reduce wood waste in the construction sector. Transforming how building materials move throughout the UK, using circular economics, The Pallet LOOP has created a range of reusable pallets and operates a wide network of pallet manufacturing and pallet collection hubs in conjunction with Scott Pallets (another BSW Group company). The Pallet LOOP has been operational for only eight months but has already secured several major customers in the construction industry, including British Gypsum, Isover, Superglass and Wienerberger, which are now using the company’s green pallets to transport building materials.
James Holian, Head of Business Banking and International Retail at NatWest Group, said: “It’s wonderful to see such a high calibre of entries to the British Business Awards. The UK is full of entrepreneurial, creative and innovative businesses and we’re seeing those at the
forefront of the UK’s economy through this process. Seeing the high level of commercial
excellence across multiple sectors makes me extremely confident about the future of British business.”
Other companies shortlisted for a British Business Award include major multi-nationals such as Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard (HP); UK PLCs including Scottish Power, The Weir Group and Greggs; and well-known brands like Miller Homes, The PureGym Group and The Ivy Collection.
For further information visit: www.britishbusinessawards.co.uk
For more information go to: www.thepalletloop.com or follow the team on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thepalletloop