Annual survey findings showed repair and reuse of wooden pallets during the year was up 10.6 per cent
Preliminary results of the latest wooden pallet and packaging market report have confirmed the ongoing trend for reuse amongst manufacturers, retailers, and other businesses.
The findings of the 2023 edition of the annual survey, which is jointly commissioned by the Timber Packaging and Packaging Confederation (Timcon) and Forest Research, showed repair and reuse of wooden pallets during the year was up 10.6 per cent on the previous 12 months, accounting for an estimated total of 54.1m pallets over the period.
The report showed an estimated total of 41.7m pallets were manufactured last year, a decrease of 7.9 per cent on last year’s 45.3m.
“These results show an important trend towards reuse, highlighting the growing importance businesses are placing on maximising the lifespan of products and all-round sustainability,” said Timcon president John Dye.
”It’s also a reminder that the repairability, reusability, and recyclability of wooden pallets makes them one of the cornerstones for developing truly circular supply chains.
“In parallel, the report also confirms the decrease we expected in pallet manufacturing during 2023,” he noted. ”These figures support Timcon’s contribution to the PackFlow report and ongoing dialogue with Defra regarding the implementation of a government reuse incentive scheme for wooden packaging materials.”
Report author, Guy Watt of John Clegg Consulting, presented the results of the market survey to a Timcon meeting at The George InterContinental hotel in Edinburgh.
“Over many years, Timcon has fostered strong working relationships with other wood-based sectors,” Dye continued. ”As our Edinburgh AGM and networking events showed, collaboration between the pallet and packaging industry, other industries, and associated businesses, is at an all time high.
“This really is vital to help forest-based industries come together to discuss common ground and speak with a shared voice to policymakers.
”As we work towards net zero targets together, our links help highlight our unique position as some of most sustainable sectors, and as such those which must sit at the heart of the new green economy,” Dye added.
