Plastic pallets are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP) as raw materials, and standardized production is achieved through injection molding technology. Its integrated structural design completely solves the problems of insect infestation and cracking of traditional wooden pallets, with a load-bearing capacity of up to 1.5 tons for dynamic loads and 6 tons for static loads, meeting the transportation needs of heavy machinery and automotive components. In the field of food and medicine, its smooth and burr free surface meets FDA certification standards, making it the preferred carrier for cold chain logistics. According to data from a German automotive parts factory, after switching to plastic pallets, the efficiency of forklift operations has increased by 40%, and the rate of cargo damage has decreased to below 0.3%.
The Economics of Whole Life Cycle Costs
Although the initial procurement cost is 2-3 times that of wooden pallets, the service life of plastic pallets can reach 8-10 years, which is more than 5 times that of wooden pallets. Its fumigation free feature saves export enterprises about $200 in quarantine fees per batch. The case of a logistics company in Japan shows that within a 3-year cycle, the comprehensive cost of plastic pallets is 28% lower than that of wooden pallets, thanks to their recyclability and almost zero maintenance costs. Modular design also allows for separate replacement of damaged components, further extending their service life.
The key puzzle of green supply chain
The EU EPR regulation requires a recycling rate of over 85% for plastic pallets, promoting the industry's development towards closed-loop recycling. The latest developed chemical depolymerization technology can reduce waste plastic pallets into monomer raw materials, and the carbon footprint of new products can be reduced by 62% compared to virgin plastics. The practice of an international fast-moving consumer goods giant shows that by establishing a shared pallet pool, the plastic usage in its global supply chain has been reduced by 37%, while avoiding approximately 1200 tons of wood consumption per year.
The Interface Revolution of Intelligent Logistics
With the popularization of IoT technology, plastic pallets are evolving into intelligent logistics nodes. The pallet with built-in RFID chip can transmit real-time location, temperature and humidity data, and a global logistics company has improved the tracking accuracy of goods to 99.7% through this technology. The application of 3D printing technology has enabled on-demand customization of pallets. A certain e-commerce platform has improved the loading rate of containers by 18% by optimizing the pallet size, saving over 5 million US dollars in annual shipping costs. These innovations are reshaping the global logistics infrastructure.
2025-11-26
