NWPCA Announces Environmental Product Declaration for U . S . Wooden Pallets
The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association ( NWPCA ) and the Pallet Foundation have announced an Environmental Product Declaration ( EPD ) for U . S . wooden pallets that reinforces the environmental attributes of wooden pallets for the supply chain and procurement industries . This document , certified by UL and produced in conjunction with Forest Products Lab , the research wing of the US Forest Service , is the first of its kind for a product in the distribution packaging space . This declaration speaks to the quantitative impact that wooden pallets have on the environment beyond their reusable , recyclable and biodegradable qualities .
EPDs provide consumers and professionals with transparent and product-specific environmental information through an independent validation from a third-party organization . A critical component of the wooden pallet EPD study is a life cycle assessment ( LCA ), measuring the impacts of a wooden pallet ’ s product stages of gathering , transporting and manufacturing raw materials , the use and repair of the pallet , as well as its end of life usage . When considering its life cycle , wooden pallets can have a potential net carbon positive impact . Through the unique properties of wood , carbon offsets may be achieved by the reuse of pallet materials and substituting wood fuel from pallet waste ( e . g ., unusable pallets ) for natural gas .
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“ The findings of the life cycle assessment and subsequent EPD are an affirmation of our belief that wooden pallets are truly nature ’ s packaging ,” said Bob Wenner , President of WPA-member Pallet Service Corporation . “ On top of UL ’ s Product Category Rules ( PCRs ) for wooden pallets published last year , this EPD establishes wooden pallets as a leader of environmental stewardship and provides a tool for pallet users to measure their own impacts .”
UL ’ s PCR was the first of its kind for shipping materials and is used to standardize how environmental impacts are determined . This research also complements an independent study published earlier this year at Pennsylvania State University that indicates wooden pallets have a significantly lower carbon footprint than plastic pallets during their life cycle .
“ UL applauds the efforts of NWPCA and the Pallet Foundation to develop a PCR and now issue an EPD for wooden pallets to better understand the environmental impact they have ,” said Alberto Uggetti , vice president and general manager of UL ’ s environment and sustainability division . “ The reusable nature of wooden pallets makes them a more circular , sustainable form of reusable packaging , and with this EPD , manufacturers will be able to communicate the impacts of their