NWPCA and Pallet Foundation Celebrate Funding to Enable New Life Cycle Assessment Work

The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) and the Pallet Foundation are excited to announce new funding from the USDA’s Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). The funding was a result of a collaborative proposal by the NWPCA and its partner, the Softwood Export Council (SEC). 

The funding will support the Pallet Foundation’s critical work on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for wooden pallets.

“The NWPCA and the Pallet Foundation are grateful to the SEC for their collaboration on this proposal and support in facilitating the grant. Our partnership with the SEC over the years has been instrumental in developing initiatives that benefit the environment, forestry, and global softwood markets,” commented Dr. Brad Gething, vice president of science & technology.”

The funding will enable the Foundation to continue its comprehensive work on LCAs, providing a detailed analysis of the environmental impact of wooden pallets throughout their lifecycle. LCAs and EPDs are vital for assessing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact, helping U.S. lumber compete globally.

SEC President Rose Braden expressed her commitment to the Pallet Foundation’s initiatives: “We are proud to partner with the NWPCA and the Pallet Foundation, especially when it comes to providing industry members with transparent information about the environmental performance of wooden pallets, reinforcing their sustainability credentials in global markets.”

“Working with the SEC over the years has significantly expanded the great work that our Pallet Foundation is already doing in areas such as landfill avoidance, wooden pallet market analysis, and increased market opportunities in Mexico for U.S. softwood lumber exports,” added Dr. Gething.

The collaboration with NWPCA, the Pallet Foundation, and SEC underscores the importance of industry partnerships in advancing sustainability goals.

The NWPCA and the Pallet Foundation also thank the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Foreign Agriculture Service for enacting the RAPP program last year to support U.S. commodity exports into emerging markets.

About the Pallet Foundation

Formed in 1996, the Pallet Foundation supports testing, data collection, and analysis for the Pallet Design System™ and other related research projects to improve the safety of our industry and our environment. Visit www.palletfoundation.org.

About the Softwood Export Council

The Softwood Export Council (SEC) is a nonprofit association representing U.S. softwood grading agencies, industry trade associations, state export promotional agencies, and others with a stake in the global trade of softwood lumber and wood-based building materials. Learn more at www.softwood.org. 

About NWPCA

The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) is the largest organization of wood packaging professionals globally, with more than 800 company members in 28 countries who manufacture, repair and distribute pallets and wood packaging in unit-load solutions, or who supply products and services to the industry. To learn more about NWPCA, visit palletcentral.com.

Contact:

Annette Ferri – Vice President, Communications – aferri@palletcentral.com – (703) 519-6104 ext. 207

Source: National Wooden Pallet & Container Association