Joseph Holman, founder and CEO of Green Doors, started the business after finding doors in a skip.
Now over a decade later, the 34-year-old saved over 3,000 pre-loved, surplus or mis-measured doors and windows from landfill or incineration last year alone.
He said: “Winning the King’s Award is huge for our business, I think it will really open doors for us.
“Soon, I’ll be shaking hands with the King. We have been working tirelessly at our warehouses in Luton. This is a huge boost for the team.”
While training as a plumber in 2014, Holman would walk past skips every day and one day rescued a pair of French doors which he was able to sell for several hundred pounds on eBay.
He spent the next few weeks searching through skips and building sites for more items he could resell.
The items are sold to builders, homeowners and renovators to be used in construction projects.
Individuals and businesses are also able to go to the Green Doors website to donate or sell doors and windows.
The business is particularly focused on stopping Unplasticised Polyvinyl Chloride (UPVC) from going to landfill. UPVC is a type of PVC often used for window and door frames.
The company has a revenue of approximately £2 million and a team of 12 employees who are known as “door doctors”.
Holman added: “We want to use this moment to call for change in our industry.
“Perfectly good doors and windows are being dumped every day. There’s a better way and we’ve proven it works.
“We’re ready to scale. We’re calling on partners, customers and investors who want to make a real impact.”
The King’s Award is among the highest honours a British business can receive, recognising outstanding achievements in innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity.
As a recipient, Holman will be invited to Windsor Castle to meet the King.
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