Grocery industry must take action on plastic pallets

9 December 2009

The Timber Packaging and Pallet Federation (TIMCON) has called for members of the grocery industry to demand specific information from the manufacturers of plastic pallets being used in their supply chains.

The organisation says a number of questions about the suitability of plastic pallets remain unanswered. These are:

• Do plastic pallets contain harmful deca-bromine or other fire-retardants?

• What percentage of plastic pallets still contains high levels of heavy metals?

• What is the carbon footprint of a plastic pallet compared with a timber pallet?

• What is the impact of a plastic pallet on the environment compared with a timber pallet?

• Are there any economic advantages of using a plastic pallet over a timber pallet?

TIMCON President John Dye said: "We are calling on members of the grocery industry to ask for clear cut answers to the above questions. It is evident from recent stories placed in the press, and from comments made on the websites of certain manufacturers, that the sector harbours significant misunderstandings of both the disadvantages of using plastic and the considerable advantages of using timber. This clearly has implications for the profitability and environmental impact of the grocery industry."

Mr Dye, who is also international director of the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) in the US, added: "The absence of authoritative information about plastic pallets is not only an issue in the UK, it is also a major cause for concern in many other markets around the world."

Mr Dye added: "We want to ensure that the fact about timber and plastic are presented clearly and accurately, and are accessible to all who use packaging and pallets.

"Not only is a timber pallet is up to six times lower in price than its plastic equivalent and is made from a material that is re-usable, recyclable, repairable. It has a negative carbon footprint and plays a significant role in reducing climate change because it stores carbon as it grows. Timber is well established and meets all the international standards for pallets and packaging, which is why it continues to be the material of choice for grocery supply chains."

Notes

• TIMCON represents leading players in the timber and timber packaging sector

• The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) is the US timber packaging industry’s key organisation, representing the interests of manufacturers, recyclers and distributors of pallets, containers and reels in the US

• The NWPCA has expressed concerns over the use of deca-bromine, which some US manufacturers have been added to their plastic pallets as a fire retardant. Fire chiefs in the country said plastic pallets were potentially flammable and therefore posed a greater fire risk

• Some studies have suggested products that contain deca-bromine can leach, making them potentially unsafe for use in food chains, or dangerous to the environment

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