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PalletCentral • March-April 2021 13 One-third of the U.S. is forested, and the total volume of trees grown in the U.S. increased by 50% from 1953 to 2011 according to the USDA. shipped on pallets, and 90% of those pallets being wood. As economic growth continues to rebound, companies will make future decisions on how to ship products and who to partner with to accomplish it primarily based on who can best align with their other goal of sustainability. It is rising trend that as companies flourish, they are also making bold statements about their green goals. According to a Dec. 2019 World Economic Report, large corporations and small are making commitments to the circular economy and zero waste emissions. Companies like Dell, PepsiCo, Apple, Aldi, Ikea, and of course, Amazon, and others are working on their supply chains to reduce their carbon footprint to ZERO. As market leaders, smaller and niche businesses will follow suit. ese models are profitable, too. e report states, "e World Economic Forum estimates that the transition to a circular model could be worth $US1 trillion to the economy by 2025 and create 100,000 new jobs." The Case for Wood Wooden pallet companies can leverage all this information by asking current and potential customers one simple question: What are your environmental and sustainability goals as a company? is starts the conversation on the case for wood. As a critical part of the supply chain, it is good to remind customers of the benefits of using wooden pallets. First, and foremost, pallets offer a critical environmental benefit of forest sustainability: • FORESTS ARE HEALTHY & GROWING: American forests are strong, growing, and sustainably managed. One-third of the U.S. is forested, and the total volume of trees grown in the U.S. increased by 50% from 1953 to 2011 according to the USDA. 1 And, according to the U.S. Forest Service, more than one billion trees are planted in the United States each year. at is roughly more than five trees for every man, woman and child in America – an average of 4.8 million seedlings each day. • WOOD PALLETS ARE MADE FROM BYPRODUCTS: e wood pallet and wood packaging sector use the lengths, grades, and sizes of material that are not in demand for home building, furniture manufacturing, flooring, moulding and millwork, and other custom woodworking needs. While forests are not managed or cut down to make wood for pallets, this sector helps assure that nothing from a forest goes to waste, supports a vibrant wood products industry, and advances the ability of the entire forest 1 https://www.fs.fed.us/research/ publications/gtr/gtr_wo87.pdf. iStockphoto.com/thanaphiphat

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