The increase in safety concerns as well as the ongoing wood pallet shortage is leaving supply chains and warehouses scrambling to find a substitute. Plastic and fiberglass composite pallets (like RM2’s BLOCKPal) are increasingly becoming that go-to replacement. Let’s look at how these two options stack up on critical issues of environmental impact, durability, and safety.
Plastic Pallets
An oil-based product, the production of plastic pallets has a significant environmental impact. These pallets do have a longer shelf life than wood at 50 uses but lack the strength and durability to sustain heavy weight or tough cold chain environments, often becoming brittle or cracking in extreme temperatures. Due to the flammability of plastic, the pallets are treated with toxic chemical flame retardants to meet fire safety regulations, creating a limitation for some uses. Plastic does offer a lighter weight than wood – helping to keep fuel costs down. However, the lack of repairability leaves the plastic pallets to be ground up and recycled at the end of their useful life.
As supply chain managers make the shift to a wood alternative, they are also looking for increased visibility into their supply chain logistics – seeking out pallet options that offer traceability. Due to economic viability, plastic pallets remain limited to geo-tracking devices that are restricted in their data-sharing capabilities.
