Lighter pallets translate into cost savings

There are several reasons for choosing a cardboard pallet over the standard wooden version. They’re lighter and more ecofriendly and are proving to be extremely popular in the airfreight industry, despite costing slightly more per pallet. According to Jan Vreken, director of lightweight cardboard pallet suppliers CX Pallets, a normal wooden pallet weighs in the region of 20 kilograms while a similar cardboard pallet only weighs around 9kgs. “These cardboard pallets not only bypass the stringent phytosanitary regulations pertaining to wooden pallets (as they contain no wood) but also save freight costs in the long run,” he said. “The pallets can generally carry a safe load capacity of one ton but heavier-duty pallets can also be manufactured.” Vreken came across the idea of cardboard pallets from a Swedish family friend who saw corrugated pallets in Sweden. After much investigation he realised these pallets had never been used in South Africa as wood was always a cheaper option. “The use of wooden pallets in international trade has come under significant pressure following the introduction of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures 15 (ISPM15) in 2005, an international law requiring all raw wood to be either heat-treated or fumigated. A cardboard pallet can easily be used to transport just about anything – from automotive components and mining equipment to perishable foodstuffs. “Although slightly more expensive than their wooden counterparts (R140 for a 1m x 1.2m pallet as opposed to R100), the benefits for airfreight export lie in the total freight cost,” said Vreken. “No matter how cheap a wooden pallet, it can never be as light in weight as a cardboard pallet. Therefore, at US$2.00 per kg for airfreight, the total cost saving per pallet will be US$22.00.”