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WHICH PALLET IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Two experts weigh in on wood, plastic and other issues pertaining to protecting produce. BY ANTHONY STOECKERT
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to imagine a produce-related business surviving without using pallets.
Pallets are how fruits and vegetables make their way from the farms to super- markets, and produce executives have lots of options when it comes to choosing the right
pallets for their needs.
“Pallets are the core platform that allow for
the distribution of fruits and vegetables that are moved through the supply chain,” says Tim Debus, president and chief executive of the Reusable Packaging Association, based in Tampa, FL.
The Association promotes the interests of reusable transport packaging products and services, and Debus says pallets are perfect for reuse.
“Clearly, when you’re looking at transport packaging, pallets are very representative of the types of products that we advocate in a system of reuse,” Debus says. “That’s the key; we focus on the reusability of these pallet platforms
within a system that achieves the performance, cost savings and, of course, offers a lower envi- ronmental footprint in its use.”
One of the key decisions a company needs to make is what kind of pallets to use. And the two most popular options are wood and plastic.
Annette Ferri, vice president of commu- nications for the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association, headquartered in Alexandria, VA, notes that two billion wooden pallets are used in the United States on a daily basis, and that 90 percent of all products move
around the U.S. on wooden pallets.
When it comes to environmental benefits,
Ferri points out there are significant, negative environmental and economic implications of moving from wood. Shifting to plastic will increase the use of fossil fuel-based materials and carbon emissions. And it will increase the impact on landfills.
“Alternate materials would also disrupt supply chain and logistics procedures in ways that could put worker safety at risk if untested packaging options are mandated on our nation’s infrastructure,” she says.
Debus says both wooden and plastic are effective in terms of reusability, which is more about the system pallets are used in, as opposed to the material type.
“To have the effective systems in place to be able to recover pallets and repair and refur- bish as needed — and to put them back into use effectively for your customers — that’s the key to the reuse system,” he says. “Whether it’s plastic, whether it’s wood, whether it’s
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