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Like any form of business operator, you will know that the main challenge in operating a business, big or small is to optimize the efficiency of supply chain management. Transporting the items from one place to another at an affordable cost reduces a lot of burden on both the company and the potential customer.

Every product which is in the stores for display is delivered on a pallet. Among many kinds of materials used in manufacturing the pallets, plastic and wood are used most commonly. Plastic is having top priority in the market due to its own benefits over wooden ones. 

Most of the time, business owners prefer wooden pallets over plastic pallets as they are under the assumption that wooden ones are stronger and durable. While wooden pallets are stronger, they are not as durable as plastic pallets and are susceptible to easy damage. 

Benefits of Plastic Pallets

Plastic pallets provide better and safe handling of products and are conveniently lifted. Some more advantages of plastic pallets over wooden ones are : 

1. Light in weight

Weight is a major concern while handling products in supply chain management. We can reduce the extra charge we pay when we avoid the unnecessary weight. Choosing plastic over any other material keeps you sorted with all the extra weight that can add on if you choose wood.

In many cases, you can notice that plastic pallets of the same size and design of wooden ones weigh lighter than wooden ones. This implies that the cost of shipping is lowered too when they are used as a replacement for the traditional wooden pallets.

2. Exemption from ISPM 15 regulation

According to the international standards for phytosanitary measures, No 15 makes it mandatory to treat wooden pallets that have a thickness greater than 6 mm. This is an important requirement to be fulfilled when we are shipping the product from one country to another.

This regulation basically aims at the prevention of the spread of insects and insect-borne diseases.

How are the wooden pallets treated?

Treat it with heat -mobile heat, portable chamber and steady heat are a variety of techniques to get the pallets treated with heat.

Methyl Bromide: Fumigation is the basic process involved in treating the wooden pallets.

This definitely implies that more cost is incurred along with the shipping. The pallets will be thoroughly inspected at the entry of the international waters. If the wooden pallets don’t go through all these processes the authorities will retain them and it will take a lot of time, effort, and money to get the consignment back.

Plastic pallets are a good option to replace and reduce all the hassle. I exempt the plastic pallets from the regulation as it doesn’t harbor insects and will not spread wood-related pests and damage the materials. Neither the authorities at the international port will not have the reason to detain your shipment nor need you to get them treated regularly. This saves you not only money but also gives you mental peace 

3. Eco friendly and saves a lot of space

How can plastic pallets be an eco-friendly option?

1. The quality plastic pallets are manufactured according to ISO 14001 standards.
2. By choosing plastic over wood you are saving many trees from getting cut.
3. Plastic is 100% recyclable. Some vendors buy back the damaged ones and recycle them. So there are two types of plastic pallets: virgin plastic and recycled plastic. We can invest according to our products which are to be shipped and the weight.

Plastic is not only cost-efficient but also saves more space during the return trip. They can be stacked on one another to save space. Nestable plastic pallets are a good choice to save more space.

4. Longer lifespan and durability

Plastic is definitely a more durable material than wood. The lifespan of wooden pallets is not more than 4 years but we can guarantee a minimum of 10 years to the plastic pallets made out of virgin plastic. A year or two less for the plastic pallets made from recycled plastic.

This is the reason why these plastic pallets are used more in closed-loop systems where they are used again and again. Leasing the pallets has been a good business as there is very little scope for the damage.

5. Easy to clean and more hygienic 

Plastic pallets are the perfect choice to handle products related to the pharmaceutical and food industries. The cleaning can be done within no time by spraying water from a hosepipe. 

If we clean the wooden pallets in the same way the water doesn’t dry out easily paving the way for the growth of fungus. Plastic pallets have a very good advantage that it’s easy cleaning and maintaining hygiene.

More advantages of plastic pallets over wood

• No risk of being attacked by termites or any other pathogens and reduced risk of product contamination
• As they are molded the surfaces are smooth which makes them easy to clean.
• Any miss in taking care of such aspects can have an unbearable effect on your business.

 Conclusion

Plastic pallets offer a lot of benefits when compared to the metal or wooden pallets that are available in the market. Make sure to choose a reliable provider (Ecosheets) of high-quality plastic pallets as they do not require replacement very often.