The findings of the 2023 edition of the annual survey, which is jointly commissioned by the Timber Packaging & Packaging Confederation (TIMCON) and Forest Research, showed repair and reuse of wooden pallets during the year was up 10.6% on the previous 12 months, accounting for an estimated total of 54.1 million pallets over the period.
The report showed an estimated total of 41.7m pallets were manufactured last year, a decrease of 7.9% on last year’s 45.3m.
“These results show an important trend towards reuse, highlighting the growing importance businesses are placing on maximising the lifespan of products and all-round sustainability,” said John Dye, TIMCON president. “It’s also a reminder that the repairability, reusability, and recyclability of wooden pallets makes them one of the cornerstones for developing truly circular supply chains.
“In parallel, the report also confirms the decrease we expected in pallet manufacturing during 2023. These figures support TIMCON’s contribution to the PackFlow report and ongoing dialogue with Defra regarding the implementation of a government reuse incentive scheme for wooden packaging materials.”
Report author, Guy Watt of John Clegg Consulting presented the results of the market survey to a TIMCON meeting at the George InterContinental hotel in Edinburgh, which was attended by TIMCON members and affiliate members, and speakers from across the domestic and overseas forest-based industries and related sectors.
The meeting opened with a video address by MSP Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands. She stressed her support for the industry, “because it is part of the sustainable powerhouse that is Scottish forestry”, adding that wooden pallets and packaging is a “great example of a sustainable, reuseable product.”
Her address was followed by Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, who spoke about the current opportunities and challenges in UK forestry, including a forecast shortfall of timber by the 2040s. This, against projected growth in demand of 78% to 2050, could create “a timber security issue,” he said.
FEFPEB’s secretary-general Fons Ceelaert presented developments in the European pallet and packaging sectors, including an update on European Union Deforestation Regulations (EUDR). He said the timber industry is lobbying to delay the implementation of the new rules, and, in the interim, stressed the importance of having data, advising that pallet and packaging businesses should get as much information from their wood suppliers as possible.
Mike Glennon, joint managing director of Glennon Bros, spoke about the status of the Irish timber market; Simon Tucker, director of Taylor Maxwell, updated the meeting on timber exports; while Rob Driessen, managing director of Dutch pallet and packaging timber purchasing specialist Connec3, presented some welcome reasons for optimism about the European timber market.
The meeting also heard presentations from Ray Black of RB Consult UK, who detailed how ESG and Net Zero will help fuel growth in businesses; and Willy Bijen, who gave a presentation on CO2 – The Green Deal.
“Over many years, TIMCON has fostered strong working relationships with other wood-based sectors,” said Mr Dye. “As our Edinburgh AGM and networking events showed, collaboration between the pallet and packaging industry, other industries, and associated businesses, is at an all-time high.
“This really is vital to help forest-based industries come together to discuss common ground and speak with a shared voice to policymakers. As we work towards net zero targets together, our links help highlight our unique position as some of most sustainable sectors, and as such those which must sit at the heart of the new green economy.”
The TIMCON meeting took place on September 10-11 and featured the organisation’s AGM, a dinner and drinks on board the Royal Yacht Britannia, and a full business and networking session.
