Wood has maintained its dominant share of the pallet market in the UK in spite of challenging conditions in the last few years.
John Dye, President of the Timber Packaging & Pallet Confederation (TIMCON) says: “This has been one of the most challenging periods for our sector on record. We’ve seen price pressure, supply issues, a competitive market and a sustained campaign by manufacturers who use other materials, but the wooden packaging and pallet industry has shown its resilience and wood has maintained its share of more than 90 per cent of the pallet market.
“Wood is the most versatile choice of material for pallets and packaging, flexible for manufacturers and users, repairable and safe, meeting international ISO standards.
“It is also unquestionably the most environmentally friendly material. Our industry sources its wood from certified FSC or PEFC forests, sustainable and renewed continually through replanting.
Wood absorbs carbon from the atmosphere as it grows.”
Pallets and packaging made from wood are reusable, repairable and recyclable and form a critical outlet for approximately 25 per cent of sawn timber in a system that sees every part of a harvested tree put to good use. Recent academic research in Europe also demonstrates that wood is a recommend choice of packaging material from the point of view of food safety.
“Crucially, wooden pallets and packaging are also the most cost effective products on the market, so it makes economic sense for business to use them.
“These are the reasons that wood continues to be the undisputed material of choice for pallets and packaging in the UK and Ireland, and indeed throughout the world.”
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