Epal (European Pallet Association) maintained the continuous growth of the Epal Euro pallet pool in 2021. More than 100 million new Epal Euro pallets were produced for the first time in a calendar year in 2021. The record result of 101.3 million represents a year-on-year growth of 5.5 percent (96.1 million Euro pallets were produced in 2020). There was also significant growth of 7.6 percent in repairs. The production Box pallets, which grew by 66.7 percent to 288,149 box pallets, is worth highlighting here. The total production and repair volume in 2021 for all load carriers grew by 6 percent to a total of 130.8 million pallets.
“The high levels of trust users have for the open Epal Euro pallet pool also proves how important Epal Euro pallets are for the international logistics sector. In addition to guaranteeing the efficiency and safety of logistics processes, using Epal Euro pallets also helps users achieve their sustainability goals. The reuse of Epal Euro pallets protects wood resources and reduces CO2 emissions from production and transportation“, said Bernd Dörre, Epal ceo.
Concerns that it would not be possible to supply industrial and retail users with sufficient numbers of Euro pallets as a result of the shortage of and increase in the price of wood in spring 2021 proved, in hindsight, to be unwarranted. The Euro pallet pool continued to be a reliable partner in 2021 for industry and retail, and their supply chains, and ensured the on-going availability of Euro pallets.
“2021 was a year of profound challenges“, said Robert Holliger, President of the organisation. “On the one hand, the economic upturn following the anticipated easing of the “Covid-19″ pandemic generated a substantial demand for Epal load carriers. On the other, the shortage of and considerable increase in the price of wood made the situation very difficult for producers and repairers of Epal Euro pallets. We are therefore particularly proud that it was possible to increase production of Epal Euro pallets, despite the shortage of wood”.
