Why Plastic Pallets Are The Right Choice For Food And Beverage Manufacturers？

In the fast-paced food and beverage manufacturing industry, the pressure is intense to reduce operating costs and meet ambitious sustainability goals.

Every step of the supply chain is scrutinized to ensure efficiency and environmental impact; however, pallet selection can have a huge impact.

These unsung heroes of logistics play a key role in transporting goods from farm to shop floor. By choosing the right pallets, manufacturers can optimize operations and dramatically increase their sustainability capabilities.

Traditional wooden pallets have long been the standard, but reusable plastic pallets have become a better option in recent years, particularly in terms of cost savings, reduced CO2 emissions, durability, and compliance.

Here's a closer look at how plastic pallets can simplify operations and dramatically improve your sustainability credentials.

COST SAVINGS
For logistics, time is money. Traditional wooden pallets are expensive to purchase, maintain, and replace.
Lower shipping costs: on average, each truck holds 540 wooden pallets, compared to 910 for plastic pallets. Digital plastic pallets are fully nestable, which means they can be stored and transported more easily.

Lower breakage rate: Plastic pallets have a breakage rate of less than 1% compared to a breakage rate of up to 25% for wooden pallets.
Pallet sharing: With Digipal's pallet sharing option, customers can use plastic pallets for single use, which is often much more economical than buying wooden pallets. We also save our customers warehousing, handling, and capital costs by delivering the exact quantities they need, when they need them.

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Sustainability is now a necessity for companies in most industries. Switching to plastic pallets is a sustainable option.
Here's a closer look at the sustainable benefits of reusable plastics in logistics.

Lighter loads: plastic pallets are at least 10 kg lighter than wood pallets, and some pallet manufacturers offer nesting capabilities to store 69% more pallets per shipment, further reducing CO2 emissions.

Reduce the use of wood: according to Statista data from September 2022, it is estimated that there are around 5 billion pallets in circulation, of which 4.5 billion are made of wood. This means that 562,500,000 trees are cut down each year, generating 14 billion metric tons of carbon emissions.

100% RECYCLABLE: Digipal plastic pallets are 100% recyclable and made from recycled materials, which means they are part of our circular economy instead of contributing to waste generation.

Durability, safety, and automation
Durability and safety are important aspects of supply chain management that affect product integrity and worker safety:
Robust construction: plastic pallets can withstand extreme temperatures without warping, cracking, or splintering. This reduces the risk of product damage and worker injury due to protruding nails or splinters commonly found in wooden pallets.
Lightweight and strong: Although plastic pallets are lightweight, they are strong and durable, making them easier and safer for workers to handle. This reduces the risk of injury during manual handling and increases overall supply chain efficiency.
No dimensional deviation: Due to high breakage rates, wooden pallets must be inspected several times before entering automation, wasting time and money for users. Digipal plastic pallets have no size variation and low breakage rates mean lower operating costs.

Traceability and compliance
Traceability and compliance with food safety regulations are critical to maintaining product integrity and effectively managing recalls:
IoT compatibility - Digipal plastic pallets can be equipped with RFID or Wiliot Bluetooth tags, enabling efficient tracking and tracing of products throughout the supply chain. This helps with recall management and ensures compliance with food safety regulations, such as the Food Safety Regulations 1991.

Regulatory compliance: Plastic pallets meet the strict hygiene requirements and regulations set by the Food Standards Agency and other food safety agencies for materials that come into direct contact with food. This ensures that the pallets are safe and meet industry standards.