PalletTrader, the leading online digital marketplace for white wood pallets in North America, has entered into a business agreement with Pallet Control Tower (PCT), a major platform for pallet collection and management in the European Union.
Under this collaboration, the two platforms intend to offer a new service that will enable U.S. shippers to obtain and reuse European-standard pallets, initially used to transport goods into the U.S. from Europe, to ship U.S. exports back to Europe. At the same time, European-based shippers who receive imported goods on U.S.-standard pallets, will benefit from the digitally driven platform operated by PCT to source and reuse these pallets for exports to the United States.
This new venture will help pallet companies respond to the European Union’s recently enacted Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), mandating recycling and reuse of a wide range of packaging materials and products. The PPWR creates a new market for E.U. pallets in the United States; exporters can earn credits for repurposing and reusing E.U. pallets instead of disposing of them as waste.
PalletTrader’s program establishes a process for U.S. shippers to advertise, source and obtain E.U.-standard pallets for export shipping. Also, it provides a platform and incentive for E.U. shippers to repurpose U.S.-grade pallets to ship goods to the United States. Both PalletTrader and Pallet Control Tower have independently built digital e-commerce platforms through which shippers and pallet providers can procure and manage their needs for a wide variety of shipping pallets within their respective regions.
The PPWR establishes tracking guidelines and reuse targets designed to eliminate waste and create a “circular supply chain.”
“Now we are working together with PCT to establish a common process, through PalletTrader in the U.S., to provide an option for transatlantic pallet exchange, which would allow U.S. shippers to source, sell and reuse EU-grade pallets,” explained John Vaccaro, president of PalletTrader. “That will bring new value to these EU-origin shipping assets, which can be repurposed as export shipping platforms,” he said.
The PalletTrader program gives both pallet users and providers a way to comply with new PPWR standards while reducing the expense associated with disposal. Vaccaro added, “The timing could not be better for international shippers to embrace this to avoid tariff impact buying pallets for a one-way use.”
“European shippers will have to comply with these new mandates, the first phases of which went into effect in June 2024,” noted Bart Meijnen, president of Pallet Control Tower.
Pallet users in Europe today can place a request for a quote or bid on pallet inventories displayed on their PCT dashboard, accepting a quote with one click. As part of its online process, PCT also arranges pickup or delivery of the pallet order. PalletTrader would provide a similar service to U.S. businesses and pallet recyclers who have surplus lots of European-grade pallets.
Under the new EU regulations, reused and recycled pallets will have a value represented in “e-Credits.” Those credits have monetary value in the EU that can help shippers on both sides of the Atlantic earn revenues that can help reduce overall pallet purchasing and retrieval/reuse costs.
For more information about the new transatlantic program, call (877) 777-7495, visit www.pallettrader.com, or email support@pallettrader.com.
