Biffa, a leading UK sustainable waste management company, has joined forces with waste wood recycling company, Timberpak Ltd, to offer a circular recycling scheme for the UK's largest employee-owned business, the John Lewis Partnership.

Timberpak is one of the largest processors of recycled timber in the UK. The material it sources is used by its sister company, EGGER (UK) Ltd, to produce carbon-negative Eurodekor Faced Chipboard for the furniture, interior design and building industries.

As part of the innovative scheme, Biffa will collect and sort waste wood from John Lewis’ Milton Keynes facility and transport it to Timberpak Ltd’s site in Leeds. After being processed, it will be turned into Eurodekor Faced Chipboard at EGGER (UK) Ltd’s production site in Northumberland. Containing over 40% recycled wood, this versatile product is used to create kitchen cabinets that will re-enter John Lewis’ supply chain, completing the closed-loop cycle.

Timberpak Ltd aims to maintain wood waste within the supply chain with the guarantee that nothing goes to landfill. Thanks to Timberpak Ltd and EGGER (UK) Ltd’s commitment to make more from wood, less virgin fibre is required to create the finished chipboard product. The combination of wood ingredients to create Eurodekor Faced Chipboard provides a carbon-negative solution as more carbon is absorbed during the growth of the wood than is required during production.

“A key part of our sustainability strategy is enabling a successful circular economy, and we want to help businesses become part of this by prioritising reduction, reuse and recycling to help combat the UK waste challenge," says Joshua Jolliffe, Corporate Account Manager at Biffa. "This initiative with Timberpak Ltd and John Lewis encompasses these values, transforming a common waste stream into a valuable resource, reducing its environmental impact and carbon emissions. We very much look forward to working together towards a successful and long-term partnership.”

Connor Paterson, Business Development Manager, Timberpak, adds: “We are delighted to be working alongside Biffa to provide a sustainable waste wood recycling solution for John Lewis. The waste wood we process is used to produce the high-quality chipboard kitchen cabinets that John Lewis supplies, so it is the perfect partnership, and extends the closed-loop cycle we operate across our sites.”