More shippers switch to cardboard pallets

JAMES HALL FOLLOWING A cyclically slow start to the year, an upswing in shipping has created a demand for CX Pallets’ innovative product, and business has been hectic since. More customers are switching from the traditional wooden pallets. “There are many reasons to go with corrugated cardboard pallets over wooden or plastic, and we’re seeing this with orders up at our factory in Germiston,” said Elandsfontein-based CX Pallets MD Jan Vreken. Several factors are converging to ensure escalating sales for the recyclable cardboard pallets, which are intended for one-way use before disposal. Wood prices are high, and airfreight costs are escalating with the price of fuel. Cardboard pallets weighing five kilos (compared to up to 20 kilos for wooden pallets) are costefficient. Capable of supporting loads up to 2.7 tonnes, the pallets meet all export standards. “Wooden pallets need to be fumigated to rid them of pests. Cardboard pallets don’t need fulmination. Health and hygiene standards don’t allow food producers to have wooden pallets in their factories. They’ve been using plastic pallets, but these are brittle and expensive compared to cardboard,” said Vreken. Major clients include Afrox and the automotive industry, but a variety of companies and shipping firms have switched to cardboard pallets, which have an additional advantage of being less likely to be pilfered than wooden ones. Most clients still ship by sea, however, and pallet sizes are designed to make the best use of availalble container space.