Palnet Joins the Wood vs. Plastic Pallet Fray

VINELAND, N.J.-Michael Smith, president and COO of Palnet, a nationwide supplier of shipping pallets, issued a statement in response to a recent press release issued by a manufacturer of plastic pallets stating its desire to "be responsible stewards of the environment" and describing its pallet as being "100 percent recyclable."

"For all the green rhetoric being tossed around today by the manufacturers of plastic pallets about their sustainability and recyclable nature, the facts are still the facts,” said Smith. “Wooden pallets made from the unusable trims of the lumbering process are greener, cleaner and more environmentally friendly by a mile."

Smith pointed to the manufacturing chain of a plastic pallet from oil well, to refinery, to oil tanker, to the plastic processing plant. He argued that adding up all the pollution and environmental stress that accumulates along the way, "100 percent recyclable" doesn't necessarily end up being a champion of the environment.

On the other hand, according to Smith, wooden pallets have always had a story and product that is sustainable. According to the EPA, when wood pallets reach the end of their useful life, they can be converted into value-added products like wood flooring or replacement parts for other pallets.

Stay tuned.