Paper pallets, plastic pallets and
metal pallet; we’ve often heard of them, but how exactly do they
exactly from their wooden counterpart? In this three-part series, LogistiekProfs discusses the
advantages and disadvantages of each type of pallet. We’ll start with the plastic
pallet. Why is this type of pallet the preferred choice for transporting electronic and pharmaceutical goods?
When you think of pallets, chances are you’ll think of wood. Wood has been the market leader in the pallet industry for around seventy years. And with good reason: the material is cheap, strong and
safe. Yet wood also has its drawbacks. For example, anyone who works with wood often has to put up with splinters. Furthermore, wood can harbour bacteria or
mould. Does the plastic alternative offer a solution to these issues?
Plastic is the second most widely used material in logistics after wood. In 2013,
the research firm Freedonia Group predicted that demand for plastic
decking would see double-digit growth by 2017. And with good reason, because
plastic pallets have a number of advantages over wooden
pallets:
- plastic pallets are easy to clean;
- plastic pallets are on average three times lighter than wooden pallets (making shipments cheaper).
More hygienic or not?
Because plastic pallets can thus be easily cleaned, they are in demand by the pharmaceutical and food industries. Yet the hygiene of these pallets is much disputed. In the user marks left on plastic, bacteria could actually live better than in wooden pallets. This is where the big finger-pointing started, as last year IGPS, distributor of plastic pallets, came up with independent scientific research showing that wooden pallets showed traces of salmonella, E. coli and listeria.
Furthermore, plastic pallets are very expensive compared to their competitors. As pallets do sometimes go missing, the
opt for the wooden version. Manufacturers of plastic pallets have
by installing tracking systems on the pallets, in order to
of them going missing. Nevertheless, the high costs and the risk of losses remain
an obstacle for many companies in the logistics sector.
Not sustainable
The Dutch Packaging and Pallet Industry Association (EPV) has been speaking out against the plastic pallet for years. The association stresses that wood is much more environmentally friendly. Plastic is not biodegradable and five times more energy is consumed during the production process. This leads to greater CO2 emissions into the air and water.
Risk of warping
There is also another disadvantage that is less well known to the
general public. Plastic may be indestructible, but it is also less
rigid than its wooden counterpart. The pallets do tend to bend when they
have to bear a heavy load. This can, for example, lead to unstable
loads.
But solutions have been devised for this too. For example, there is now a type of plastic
pallet on the market which, thanks to a different chemical composition, is stronger and does not
warps. As quality usually comes at a price, these pallets are a little more expensive. That is why many companies ultimately opt for wooden pallets after all.
Next week we’ll be looking at the paper pallet. IKEA decided in
2011 to phase out wooden pallets and work exclusively with paper
. How did the furniture giant come to this decision?
Editorial team LogistiekProfs
