Western Pallet Magazine Double Issue January 2026 | Page 57

November 2025

Wood Pallet Outlook: Global Softwood Markets Head Toward Structural Tightness Through 2030

A new market outlook from Global Wood Trends and O’Kelly Acumen suggests that softwood lumber markets in the United States, Canada, and Europe are entering a prolonged period of structural constraint, with implications for pallet pricing and trade.

The 2025 US economy – in charts: rising prices, hiring slowdown, rollercoaster growth

Looking at the government's own report cards, the Guardian takes a closer look at how the US fared under the first year of Trumponomics 2.0

This could be the biggest challenge for small business owners in 2026

The vast majority of small business owners, 89%, who were hiring or trying to hire in November, said they had few or no qualified applications to fill vacant jobs, according to the National Federation of Independent Business, and one-third of all owners said they had openings they could not fill.

NWPCA Updates Drive Global Alignment in Pallet Design & Standards 2025

Pallet design, engineering standards, and international collaboration continue to evolve, as exemplified in a trio of announcements from the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA).

Why California could be contending with $5 gas next year

While the national average is expected to drop in 2026, California's prices are expected to stay near the 2025 average of $4.64 or climb higher.

Smart Green Pallet adoption is accelerating at Auchan, with a 50,000-unit rollout that highlights the growing role of connected reusable packaging in reducing shrink and improving logistics reliability.