Could a New Pallet Be the Starting Point for More Sustainable Supply Chains?

A bold statement perhaps, but one borne out of long standing frustration with the slow if not stagnant forward movement towards implementing more sustainable supply chains.

In 1985 I established my first retail store cardboard recycling initiative which not only was good for the environment, but was also a financially lucrative initiative saving the Hudson’s Bay Company $100’s of thousands of dollars annually at that time.

However as more companies came on board such programs, the savings component disappearred; as in the case of cardboard, widespread recycling drove the amount recyclers would pay into the ground due to the resulting oversupply of cardboard.

Fortunately when it comes to the potential for new sustainability initiatives such as lighter composite pallets versus wood pallets and the associated carbon credits, we are only in the early days of such programs and the ability to both monetize both potential savings opportunities while at the same time reducing your company’s carbon footprint is now.