Western Pallet Magazine October 2024 | Page 14

14 WESTERN PALLET

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Bridging the Gap: Sustainability

How the Pallet Industry Can Bridge the Gap

Our industry has a unique role to play in bridging the gap towards a sustainable future. We’ve already adopted sustainable material by our circular economy, reusing and recycling pallets. We must take it a step further, use responsibly sourced wood and continue to invent alternative materials with AI as our innovative partners. We can upgrade facilities and processes to be more energy-efficient or replace old energy resources with solar and other alternative energy. We can electrify forklifts, trucks, and other vehicles used in operations. We can invest in carbon credits and support projects that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Being known for our sustainable efforts gives us a competitive advantage.

Sustainability is no longer a buzzword—it’s a necessity. By reducing waste and embracing a new way of doing business, we can make significant strides toward a future with us in it. Want to go deeper? Let’s connect. I have tools and resources for you and beyond. I’ll leave you with a question and a quote. So what’s your 2025 ESG plan? And the quote, "The world's biggest problems are the world's biggest business opportunities." - Peter Diamandis

WPM

'How our greenhouse gas emissions add up' from Speed & Scale, An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now by By John Doerr and Ryan Panchadsaram, Penguin Random House, 2021, p. 5.