Your supply chain's carbon footprint extends far beyond transportation. Packaging materials, including pallets, contribute significantly to overall emissions — and most companies overlook this low-hanging fruit for carbon reduction.
The numbers are striking. A new wooden pallet generates approximately 31 kg of CO₂ equivalent emissions from timber harvesting, manufacturing, and transportation. A recycled pallet generates less than 5 kg, representing an 85% reduction.
For a company using 10,000 pallets per year, switching from new to recycled pallets could prevent 260 metric tons of CO₂ annually — equivalent to taking 57 cars off the road.
Beyond direct emissions, recycled pallets reduce demand for logging, preserving forests that act as carbon sinks. Each standard pallet contains approximately 0.02 cubic meters of lumber. Saving 10,000 pallets from new production preserves roughly 200 cubic meters of standing timber.
Water savings are another often-overlooked benefit. Manufacturing new lumber requires significant water for processing and treatment. Recycling existing pallets bypasses this entirely.
To measure your specific impact, try our Eco Calculator. Input your monthly pallet usage and see exactly how many trees, tons of CO₂, and gallons of water you could save by switching to recycled pallets.