Get a Move on Your ESG Goals with Help from Pallets

You may have heard about your company’s ESG goals, and perhaps you’re already involved on a team to champion the cause. It’s likely that your operation is doing its part to reduce energy and waste, which involves a broad approach. But ESG initiatives can include small actions, too.  One area for consideration is the containers and platforms used to ship your products.

Yes, we’re talking about pallets. A wood pallet can be designed so that its size and weight require less fossil fuel to make and transport. This can be accomplished using the Pallet Design System™ (PDS), a software program that specifies pallet type, size, and style for a particular product as well as produces 3D drawings of the pallet design using the least possible material while still making it safe for transport.

In fact, pallets designed with PDS qualify as a biobased product and bear the USDA Biocertified seal. Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the goal of the BioPreferred® Program is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products. The increased development, purchase, and use of biobased products reduces our nation’s reliance on petroleum, increases the use of renewable agricultural resources, and contributes to reducing adverse environmental and health impacts.

So, how do you know if the pallets in your warehouse are biobased? Look for the seal. A pallet marked by the USDA Biocertified seal provides assurance the pallet has been designed using optimal materials and less fossil fuel.

If you’re not already requesting USDA biobased pallets from your supplier or pallet manufacturer, you should! It’s just one more way you can incorporate ESG tactics into your procurement process and policy.

As an active user of the Pallet Design System, Rose Pallet is a proud member of the USDA Biopreferred® Program. For more information about biobased pallets, please contact us.