‘Greener’ plastic pallets gain traction

Plastic pallets are beginning
to replace those made of wood
as shippers and transporters
embrace green business ethics
which, in the case of plastic
pallets, are accompanied
by long-term cost savings,
according to Kamal Diaite of
Extruwood.
A number of factors come
into play when comparing
plastic to wooden pallets, he
says.
Plastic pallets are 100%
recyclable.
This means if a plastic
pallet becomes damaged, it
can simply be reworked and
turned back into a new pallet
without the need for new
resources or unnecessary
waste.
The material used is plastic
bottle caps and other highdensity
polyethylene which
would otherwise have ended
up in landfills.
Plastic pallets need never
end up in the landfill as the
material can continue to be
recycled.
In contrast, most wooden
pallets must be replaced or
repaired after limited use, and
as a result millions of trees
are felled each year for pallet
production.
Most of these pallets end
up in landfills, as firewood,
or as scrap litter, according to
Diaite.
Extruwood sees demand for
recyclable pallets increasing
as the regulators focus more
closely on the carbon footprint
of the transport industry.
“Given that the road
transport industry alone is
responsible for 18% of global
CO2 emissions and that South
Africa is highly dependent
on road transport – well over
80% of freight in the country
is moved by road – vehicle
and fleet owners can expect
that a great deal of ‘green’
regulations will affect, if not
target, the transport industry,”
he says.
In addition to being
recyclable, plastic pallets are
easily sanitised, have high
odour resistance, a much
longer service life span, and
are more durable than wood.
They also offer better
product protection. Wooden
pallets are susceptible to
bacterial and chemical
contamination, rendering them
unreliable for fleet companies
transporting food and other
sensitive product lines.
Heat treatment of wooden
pallets, required to prevent the
transfer of plant pests from
one country to another, adds to
the burden of CO2 emissions.
“Extruwood pallets have
been designed to meet the
most exacting demands of
logistics and warehouse
operators – being incredibly
tough and durable. They do
not deteriorate in any weather
conditions, and are ideal
for cold storage situations,
especially for food items.”
Extruwood pallets are tailormade
for applications and are
also backed with a guarantee.