Creating the future doesn’t happen by accident. Many people in the industry have heard of the Pallet Foundation. But it is still a small percentage of the total sector who pay the bills, whether through supporting the WPA and NWPCA auctions that benefit the Pallet Foundation or through other direct voluntary contributions, or from those that provide the volunteer work to make it successful.
The Pallet Foundation takes on projects that are too big for one company to handle or challenges that require focus and industry collaboration to be successful. It is the only non-profit charitable organization focusing on the U.S. wood pallet market. The approved budget for industry research, market development, outreach and other projects totals $888,625, a record for the Pallet Foundation. The Pallet Foundation is governed by a voluntary Board of Trustees made up of industry volunteers, many of whom you know.
The following are some of the notable projects being undertaken this year to advance core concerns for the sector.
Workforce Development Project
A two-year project with the Manufacturing Institute that builds off the Phase 1 Workforce Study recommendations. This research seeks to better understand the industry’s workforce issues and develop some solutions to help pallet companies meet the challenge.
Preliminary Study on Understanding Risk of Pest Interceptions
This study will clarify the risks associated with pests being intercepted at U.S. ports of entry. The main purpose of this study will be to publish a peer-reviewed article that helps regulators and policymakers better understand and qualify the extent of risk to U.S. forests from intercepted pests before they make untested changes to policy that could impact the industry and international trade
Pallet Population Project
The exact number of pallets in the wood pallet pool has been continuously cited (approximately 2 billion) without being scientifically verified. The credible determination of this number is becoming increasingly important. Researchers at Virginia Tech are seeking to better understand the total size, output and overall production of the industry.
Screw and Nail Stiffness Validation Project
The Pallet Foundation has provided significant funding through the years for the development of the non-profit Pallet Design SystemTM. An upcoming project proposes to extend our understanding of screwed connections by testing self-drilling screws. This project on alternative fasteners aims to generalize the performance of self-drilling screws for inclusion in the Pallet Design System™ (PDS). This will allow PDS to cover every type of threaded fastener effectively.
Economic Impact Study
Government officials increasingly seek recent data on the totality of the wooden pallet and container industry’s economic contribution to the US economy. The 2019 study (conducted in 2018) needs to be updated. It identified the industry supports 173,000 jobs and has a direct and indirect annual economic impact of $31 billion. This information is critical when the industry goes to lobby leaders in Washington, D.C.
Pallet Longevity Pilot Project
The actual lifecycle of whitewood pallets in the supply chain is currently unknown because of the wide variety of factors that influence it, and tracking is complicated. Virginia Tech has identified a possible tracking technology.
This project will work with students to perform a proof of concept of the tracking technology and determine if a viable path forward exists for a full-scale research project.
NWPCA/Pallet Foundation Shared Staff Position
A shared staffing position with the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association to serve as the Pallet Foundation’s engagement officer. Previously the work of the Pallet Foundation was handled by NWPCA staff, but now that the Pallet Foundation has grown from $40,000 to nearly $900,000 in annual projects, the organization has decided to bring on part-time support. This individual is responsible for developing and executing strategies to engage donors, support existing projects, develop new programs, and advance the Foundation’s mission and initiatives. They will work closely with the Foundation’s leadership and NWPCA staff to cultivate relationships, secure financial contributions and promote the organization’s work.
In addition, the Pallet Foundation is the funding and guiding organization behind the North American industry’s environmental and sustainability outreach campaign Nature’s Packaging. This resource helps pallet companies communicate real-world information on wood pallet environmental performance to end users and other third parties.
Some important ongoing projects include expert consulting on the ISPM-15 program and ways to strengthen and protect the program. Also, continued engagement with a notable fire code expert to monitor and outreach to fire code officials. Fire safety has become an important issue for the pallet and lumber industries. This ongoing work ensures that the industry is at the forefront of best practices while also conveying real world challenges to code officials.
Brent McClendon, the president and CEO of the NWPCA, recently spoke about new and ongoing research to measure the industry’s green footprint. He commented, “Our Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) in 2018 was the first of the kind in the transport packaging space. It showed that wood pallets have a positive environmental benefit. The EPD renewal background work kicked off in 2023 and will be developed in 2024, and the accompanying pallet longevity and pallet population projects combine to form a substantial body of work as decarbonization becomes essential for our industry’s customers.”
These research projects help the industry continue to grow, verify its claims and prepare for the future. To find out more or support its work, visit https://palletfoundation.org/.
