The Dutch Packaging and Pallet Industry Association has concluded too early that wooden pallets are 25 per cent less environmentally damaging than plastic pallets. So says research firm CE Delft, which conducted a second opinion on the environmental impact of plastic and wooden pallets on behalf of industry association NRK.
Earlier, the EPV indicated that wooden pallets are better for the environment and were 25 per cent less burdensome than plastic pallets. Producers of plastic pallets reacted indignantly to this conclusion. Especially since they were not featured in Nibe's report to highlight their side. A second opinion was the result.
Only for pallets with pressed bobbin
The second study showed that the 25 per cent percentage, which EPV had previously arrived at, only applied to the pallet with pressed bobbin, whereas it was assumed that it applied to all wooden pallets. For other wooden pallets, the environmental impact would be 15 to 25 per cent lower than the best plastic pallet. The first report is not properly cited, according to CE Delft. The environmental benefit is overestimated by a factor of 1.7 for a large proportion of pallets.
Wrong assumptions and conclusions
According to the second opinion, the first report would also contain assumptions about plastic pallets. For instance, it would have used the wrong percentage for the number of pool pallets burned, while most pallets are recycled. CE Delft also disagreed with the conclusions of the calculated shadow costs for wooden pallets and the use of sustainable wood. According to the second opinion, the costs are higher for wooden pallets than calculated in the first study. In addition, the first report would only assume that pallets are made from sustainable wood without negative deforestation effects while this would not be true for all pallets.
Editorial LogistiekProfs
