Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1505351
PalletCentral • July-August 2023 15 footprint. By dismantling damaged and broken pallets and using these resources to repair and build a salable product, we reduce waste, promote circularity, and minimize the environmental impact our products have on the environment. Our facility is continuously updated, and our processes are streamlined to maximize these results. Our well-maintained fleet of vehicles is also continuously updated, as we use a low and zero-emission fleet to move our people and products. We have introduced electric forklifts to move products within our facility to reduce fuel costs and emissions. In January 2022, we implemented the Alliance Automation robotic dismantler. Dismantling is a critical component in manufacturing as we retrieve used lumber to rebuild pallets. e robotic dismantler is less labor intensive, allowing sustainability in the workforce. In 2023, we plan to add additional automation equipment to better equip our team in processing material and pallets more efficiently. We will install an urban sawmill and a pallet sort/repair line from Alliance Automation. ese initiatives and technologies will further enhance our commitment to reducing waste and sustaining our forests. Brett Bucktooth Senior Supplier Diversity & Sustainability Manager, Ongweoweh Corp. At Ongweoweh, sustainability is ingrained in our core values. As a Native American-owned pallet supplier, our stewardship is based on the 7th Generation Philosophy: We should always consider how our decisions and actions will impact the next seven generations. is philosophy guides Ongweoweh's efforts to find full-circle solutions to benefit the collective future of not only the company, its customers, and its manufacturers but everyone. Ongweoweh is seeing an uptick in sustainability metrics being reported and requested by our customers to help them achieve their goals and ours. Our customers appreciate our sustainability report on pallets recycled, trees saved, tons of CO 2 emissions avoided, and tons of landfill waste avoided. We distribute landfill diversion reports to substantiate our work. Our business analytics team provides the volumes and assigns an average weight to each pallet recycled to determine the total pounds diverted from the landfill. We created our subsidiary, 7Gen Waste Logistics, to offer environmentally- friendly alternatives to our customers' waste management and recycling needs for pallets and beyond. 7Gen Waste Logistics focuses on landfill diversion projects to exceed sustainability goals, and the expertise of 7Gen allows for innovative methods to divert material to renewable sources. We also created Ongweoweh Pooling LLC to capitalize on closed-loop opportunities within our customers' supply chains. rough these programs, our customers can reuse their assets within their network, allowing them to capture savings and reduce their carbon footprint. Ongweoweh performs onsite visits to identify supply chains operating in a linear manner (where waste typically ends up in a landfill) to assist in converting programs into a circular economy, utilizing our innovative solutions and collaboration on all levels. is process supports our customers in meeting their social responsibilities, and the resource benefits recognized in each converted supply chain will impact future generations. Our goal is to transform what used to be considered waste into usable items or materials. We track recycled pallets and provide recycling analytics to our customers. e metrics we track and report are pallets recycled, trees saved, CO 2 emissions avoidance, and landfill waste avoidance. Ongweoweh is also working on a sustainability program that will assist in reaching our target goals as well as supporting our customers. e focus pillars for our sustainability program will be environmental, economic, social, and human. Daniel Gormley Vice President of Asset Control, CHEP USA Everyone – from consumers to businesses – expects more regarding sustainability, which has challenged many organizations, like CHEP, to set ambitious goals. Fortunately, sustainability is in CHEP's DNA, having launched its inherently circular business model more than 60 years ago that reduces supply network waste and emissions through shared, repaired, and reused platforms. Our expansive network scale positions us to, in turn, Our goal is to transform what used to be considered waste into usable items or materials. —Brett Bucktooth