Wood pallets are very sustainable and are mostly produced from specially-grown trees. This means that deforestation and similar environmental concerns are not typically caused by pallet manufacturing. Instead, trees are planted for the sole purpose of being cut into lumber which is then used in new pallets, making pallets a renewable and green resource. Additionally, the majority of pallets are now made from softwood species, which grow quickly and can be replenished easily.
One of the greatest strengths of pallets as a packaging platform is the ease in which they can be repaired. Unlike metal or plastic pallets, wooden ones can be damaged or broken but affordably and quickly fixed. Deckboards can be replaced, stringers can be repaired and most pallets are used multiple times before coming to their end of life. Pallets are so repairable that there are many suppliers, like Pallet Consultants, that specialize in their repair and reuse. Not only are wooden pallets easily fixed, they have similar weight capacity to new pallets yet cost a fraction of the price!
After pallets have been repaired multiple times they’re then recycled into other products. Wooden pallets appear to be one of the most recycled supply chain packages available, with over 95% of pallets avoiding landfills
Why are so many pallets recycled? It’s because they can be used for so many different things. Before a pallet is scrapped, it’s usually cut into pieces that can be used to repair other pallets, extending the lifecycle of other pallets. Any other scrap wood that cannot be used is often ground into mulch for landscaping use or turned into biomass to be burned in special energy-generation facilities.
When carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses are released into the atmosphere, this is known as a net-positive carbon emission. Over a pallet’s lifetime, a pallet can actually prevent more greenhouse gas emissions than it produces if it is recycled properly.