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4 Pallet C e nt ral • S e ptem be r- O ctobe r 2 0 25 PALLETCENTRAL, Volume 25 No. 5 PalletCentral ® is a bi-monthly publica on of the Na onal Wooden Pallet & Container Associa on™ © 2025 Na onal Wooden Pallet & Container Associa on. All rights reserved. NWPCA 225 Reinekers Lane, Suite 560 Alexandria, VA 22314 703-519-6104 info@palletcentral.com Adver sing: To adver se in PalletCentral, contact Mark Barford at 703-519-0186 or mbarford@palletcentral.com. Publishing Partner: Tulip Media Group Subscrip ons to PalletCentral ® are complimentary, however you need to subscribe: PalletCentral.com/pallet-subscrip on >>Subscribe Subscribe to ensure you receive the latest edi on of PalletCentral ® and to make sure we have your correct mailing address and/or email address for digital edi ons. Please note that NWPCA does not sell our mailing lists. We only collect certain data to track our readership demographics. ©2025 NWPCA. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all ar cles, editorials and adver sements appearing in PalletCentral are solely those of the author and adver ser, respec vely, and do not necessarily represent the views of NWPCA. IN THIS ISSUE DEPARTMENTS 8 Le er From Our Board Chair 12 Inside NWPCA 16 Policy At Play 34 NWPCA Adver sers 24 42 Na onal Wooden Pallet & Container Associa on September – October 2025 • Volume 25 No. 5 42 | OSHA's New Agenda And Policies Include Surprises OSHA's future is unclear, but new policies are rolling out—including a renewed Amputa on NEP for manufacturing, expanded VPP eligibility, and bigger penalty reduc ons for small employers. Proposed General Duty Clause changes could limit enforcement for inherent job hazards, with comments due Sept. 2. BY ADELE L. ABRAMS, ESQ., ASP, CMSP 24 | Naviga ng Turbulent Times In Hardwood Lumber Markets Caught between tariffs, weak demand, and mill closures, the North American hardwood industry faces one of its toughest chapters yet. This feature unpacks the market's sharp decline, shi ing supply chains, and the strategies—both innova ve and urgent— emerging to keep producers compe ve in 2025 and beyond. BY NWPCA TEAM 36 | Economic Pulse 2025: Where Does The Wood Packaging Industry Stand? Tariffs, pricing pressure, and cau ous spending are shaping the wood packaging industry's late-2025 outlook, according to NWPCA's latest Economic Pulse survey. While op mism and pessimism are evenly split, members are leaning into efficiency, automa on, and stronger customer es to weather uncertainty and posi on for future opportunity. BY ANNETTE FERRI 30 | How Sustainability Ra ng Pla orms Are Influencing Procurement Decisions—And How To Take Advantage New PCR rules, rising ESG demands, and EcoVadis scoring are reshaping pallet procurement—this guide shows wooden pallet and container makers how to prove sustainability, li their scores, and turn compliance into a compe ve win. BY SARAH BACKES 20 | Breaking Through The Vola lity: How AI Is Quietly Reshaping The Wooden Pallet Industry Among Economic Chaos Facing rising costs and labor challenges, pallet manufacturers are leaning on AI to streamline opera ons, boost efficiency, and create new opportuni es for workers. BY JERICA KINGSBURY 40 | A Smarter Way To Measure Sustainability: New Environmental And Carbon Calculator For Wooden Pallets Launching this fall, the NWPCA and Pallet Founda on's new Carbon Calculator gives the wood pallet industry a science-based way to measure and report environmental impact. Backed by verified LCA data and soon to be integrated with PDS, the tool helps manufacturers, recyclers, and end-users quan fy carbon savings, support ESG goals, and showcase the sustainability advantages of wood pallets. BY BRAD GETHING, PHD