A Luton entrepreneur who built a £2 million business from doors found in a skip will receive one of the UK’s highest honours later this month in a ceremony that returns him to where it all began.
Joseph Holman, founder of Green Doors, will be presented with the King’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development by the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire at 2.30pm on April 29.
In a nod to the company’s origins, Holman will accept the award while inside a skip.
“I started 11 years ago with a set of doors I found in a skip,” said Holman. “Now, I’m receiving an award from the King.
“Being in a skip to receive this award feels like the most honest way to tell that story.”
Holman met King Charles III at Windsor Castle in June as part of the awards programme. He said: “Everyone knows the King is very passionate about the environment and so it was great to tell him about the work we’ve been doing.
“We spoke for several minutes. He seemed very relaxed and comfortable talking with everyone.
“The whole experience was quite surreal and being in Windsor Castle feels like a totally different world from our warehouse in Luton.”
Holman says he believes his award will help him to raise awareness about the environmental issues regarding landfill and perfectly reusable doors.
“Putting UPVC doors into landfill is a dreadful thing as they release horrible toxins into the atmosphere as they degrade. We want to make sure every door and window gets a second life and we feel having this King’s Award will help us to do that.”
The King’s Award is given to businesses that have shown remarkable success in either exporting, social impact, innovation or, as in Green Door’s case, sustainable development.
“Entering the award was a difficult process. You have to put your business under the microscope and prove all you’ve done. But now we’ve gained the award and I’ve met the King it feels great and it’s given myself and the team a tremendous boost.”
Green Doors rescues discarded and mismeasured doors and windows and gives them a second life. Last year alone the company saved more than 3,000 items from landfill, selling them to builders, homeowners and renovators from its 25,000 sq ft warehouse in Bedfordshire.
The business now generates around £2 million in revenue and employs six staff, known internally as the “door doctors”.
Holman added: “Winning the King’s Award is huge for our business. We work long and hard at our warehouse in Luton and this is a massive boost for all of us.
“But more importantly, it shines a light on a bigger issue. Perfectly reusable doors and windows are being thrown away every day. There’s a better way and we’ve proven it works.”
The King’s Award is among the highest honours a British business can receive.
To mark the occasion, Green Doors will open its warehouse to the media for an exclusive tour, showcasing what it describes as an “adorable” collection of reclaimed doors.
Items on display include high-security doors from the former US Embassy in London and historic pieces such as 14th century church doors.
Holman said: “We want to use this moment to call for change. This isn’t just about us. It’s about showing that reuse works and that waste doesn’t have to be waste.”
