CJ Sheeran Group, Euroblock Verpackungsholz, Foresco and PGS Group have joined EPAL and Woodpack Global to launch Wood Pallets for Europe, a new alliance that will represent the wooden pallet sector in Brussels. The group was formally announced on September 17 and says its members manufacture, repair and manage a significant share of the pallets circulating across Europe.<\/p>\n
The alliance arrives as the EU moves towards new reuse requirements for transport packaging under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. From January 2030, companies using pallets and other transport packaging within the EU will generally have to ensure that at least 40% is reusable within a reuse system. Certain intra-company and domestic B2B movements will be subject to stricter reuse requirements.<\/p>\n
Wooden pallets already operate in a market built around repeated circulation, repair and recovery, particularly in established exchange and pooling systems. The new group wants that existing structure recognised as the rules are implemented, while giving manufacturers and pallet systems a more direct voice in Brussels on questions ranging from reuse definitions to documentation and compliance.<\/p>\n
For pallet manufacturers, the regulatory shift could gradually change the balance between new production and repair. Longer pallet service lives may reduce replacement demand for some formats, particularly one-way pallets, while larger reuse systems could increase the importance of repair networks, replacement boards and blocks and more consistent component quality.<\/p>\n
The effect will not be uniform across the market. Open exchange systems, closed pools, specialised industrial pallets and one-way export packaging all have different circulation patterns and replacement rates. Much will depend on how customers adapt procurement and logistics once the 2030 requirements become part of day-to-day packaging decisions.<\/p>\n
For sawmills supplying pallet and packaging grades, the direction is therefore less straightforward than simply higher or lower demand. A pallet remaining in circulation for longer consumes less new timber over its lifetime, but heavier use and repeated repair can increase demand for reliable components and replacement material. Timber quality may also become more important where pallets are expected to withstand more handling cycles.<\/p>\n
The creation of Wood Pallets for Europe comes early enough to give the sector a role in those discussions before the new rules begin to influence procurement on a larger scale. Its members say they intend to provide technical input and industry data while arguing for rules that take account of the repair, reuse and recycling systems already established in the wooden pallet market.<\/p>\n
For the wider timber industry, the main question will be how far the new regulatory framework changes the mix between one-way pallets, exchange systems and closed pools. Any shift in replacement rates, repair intensity or pallet specifications will eventually feed back into demand for pallet boards, blocks and lower-grade softwood lumber.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CJ Sheeran Group, Euroblock Verpackungsholz, Foresco and PGS Group have joined EPAL and Woodpack Global to launch Wood Pallets for Europe, a new alliance that will represent the wooden pallet sector in Brussels. The group was formally announced on September … Continue reading