Industry News

      Plastic pallets are produced and used widely in the U.S. and Europe, spurred by the adoption of the ISPM 15. Regulatory standards for wood packaging material (WPM) in international trade require it to be either heat treated or fumigated in accordance to ISPM 15 guidelines. The European Pallet Association, established in 1991, monitors the standards set for Euro pallets, which pallets used to export product from America must meet. Both European and American companies have embraced plastic as an attractive alternative to the original wooden material in packaging and shipping pallets.
      The benefits of plastic pallets over wood pallets include the ability to be easily sanitized, resistance to odor, fire retardancy, longer service life span, durability and better product protection, non-splintering, and lighter weight, thus saving on transportation and labor costs and making them safer and more environmentally friendly. Wood pallets can pose serious bio-hazard risks as they are susceptible to bacterial and chemical contamination, such as E. coli problems in food and produce transportation, and even insect infestation, and thus the need for ISPM 15. Plastic pallets are re-usable and recyclable, while used wood pallets have disposal issues. A full comparison of wood vs plastic can be made by a life cycle analysis.
      Plastic pallets can cost 10 times as much as hardwood pallets and even more expensive compared to cheap expendable softwood pallets. Some plastic pallets can collapse from plastic creep if used to store heavy loads for long periods.
RFID chips can be molded into the pallets to monitor locations and track inventory.