JELD-WEN embarks on wood pellet partnership

JELD-WEN’s Lowestoft facility has underlined its commitment to sustainable business and production practices by installling a recycling centre that produces pellets for biofuel.

The company has entered into a partnership with the Chesterfield-based Briquette & Pellet Company and will recycle almost 10,000 tonnes of untreated wood waste per year from the Lowestoft factory (which manufactures window, door and furniture components) as well as JELD-WEN’s other facilities at Melton Mowbray, Sheffield and Penrith.

The recycling solution is part of a major drive across the company to reduce its carbon footprint and minimise the amount of waste that goes to landfill.

The JELD-WEN facility is the Briquette & Pellet Company’s first manufacturing venture in this country. Previously, it had been making briquettes and pellets in the US and exporting them to the UK.

“Being environmentally responsible is really important for us and this takes our policy of only sourcing timber from well managed certified forests one step further,” said Tom Horne, general manager at Lowestoft.

“We see this as a truly sustainable solution to meeting our environmental and waste disposal requirements, as well as ongoing energy needs now and in the future for both us and other businesses.”

The Briquette & Pellet Company is currently looking for more suitable timber companies within which to set up plants.