Top 3 Wooden Pallet Myths
11 Jan 2018
Wooden pallets are a common sight in many workplaces, from retail to warehousing, and they play a crucial role in the display, transport and storage of goods. However, despite their frequent and popular use in business, there are still many wooden pallet misconceptions that persist about the materials, construction methods and roles that these multi-tasking goods play in our modern economic systems.
Whether these relate to the impact on the environment of a wooden pallet’s manufacture and usage, the ability to recycle – or to not recycle – or the number of purposes that they can serve, wooden pallet myths do persist. But it’s time to look again at the pallet and reconsider this most functional and humble of logistics essentials and see how flexible they can be, with multiple applications that go beyond their original purpose.
So here are just three facts which are worth considering about those popular wooden pallets.
Myth 1: Wood Pallets Are a Single-Use Product
Wood pallets serve a broad range of functions and are increasingly environmentally friendly, especially with the growing interest in recycling and sustainability at an industrial, commercial and domestic level. In fact, you only need to go online to Pinterest or a home blog to see how these multi-tasking wonders can play an important role in decorating our homes and gardens after their ‘useful working lives’ have been played out in warehouses, retailers and factories everywhere. Today DIY-ers are using these functional items to create beautiful coffee tables, bookshelves, garden planters and even benches, ensuring that the materials are recycled and re-imagined into new and useful forms rather than heading to landfill.
Myth 2: They Are Only Used for Shipping
As we have described above, they can be used in the home and in industry, and they can be used for storage, retail display, stacking and a variety of other important functions. Many businesses are actively seeking new ways to use pallets, and often in creative ways. For example, many cafes use the wood for decorative cladding, and others may sell them on for recycled general use to furniture designers and garden specialists. For those with an eye on sustainability, art and recycled materials, the possibilities are endless.
Myth 3: Wood Has a Bigger Carbon Footprint
Again, this simply isn’t true. Wood absorbs carbon dioxide when it grows and then releases it when it is either burned or allowed to break down naturally. This makes it a carbon-neutral product, and when replacement trees are planted to compensate for forestry operations – which happens with sustainable forestry – the precious ecosystem can be preserved. So wooden pallets can be seen as carbon-neutral at best or even environmentally friendly when they are made via sustainable forestry operations. And with business keen to move away from single-use plastic pallets which can end up in landfill, it is time to look at robust ‘greener’ wooden alternatives as a better solution for modern business – with plenty of onward life options for upcycling and recycling.