Pallets are the most widely used loading unit for handling, storing and transporting goods.
International standards and requirements have been introduced specifically for this particular application as well as to promote international trade, to ensure that the product is of a suitable quality and homogenous (EPAL) as well as complying with the phytosanitary requirements imposed by the ISPM-15 IPPC/FAO international requirements (FITOK).
Today over 90% of pallets are produced from fresh wood whereas the remaining 10% are made of plastic or cardboard.
Pallets made from fresh wood are solid, flexible and durable through the years, but they are becoming more and more expensive and have a significant impact on the environment, in stark contradiction with the latest environmental policies.
A new type of pallet needs to be designed, able to offer the same robustness and durability, but which does not generate impediments to international trade, but which at the same time is eco-sustainable and to achieve this the production method needs to be redesigned.
The target of RIPALLET is to design a plant that is able to produce a new generation of recycled, and recyclable, pressed wood pallets and i.e. produced from wood waste and manufactured through an innovative production process that will minimize the utilization of resins and chemical additives.
The pallets produced through this production process, will have a distinct shape which, although they can still be handled and manoeuvred by traditional means, will minimize the space occupied when empty so that double the amount may be transported with the same volume, enabling producers to expand their market area. Furthermore, both the raw material utilized as well as the production process means that the pallets will intrinsically comply with the ISPM-15 standard requirements thus guaranteeing interchangeability in international trade.