Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1547306
A task force made up of pallet recyclers has drafted the industry's first standard definition of a top-tier recycled pallet— and now seeks industry input. Ask ten recyclers what a "premium," "#1," or "A-grade" pallet is, and you may get ten different answers. Ask them what that pallet should look like, and the answers start to sound remarkably similar. e Recycled Pallet Standards Review is concentrating on this gap between terminology and reality. It is an initiative led by members of Woodpack Global with the aim of providing the industry with clear and widely understood grade definitions for recycled pallets. How We Got Here e review was initiated by a directive from the Woodpack Global Board of Directors. e Board approved an updated Uniform Standard for Wood Pallets in November 2025, but it left sections 7.5 and 7.6 unchanged. ese sections relate to the different classes of repaired 48×40 notched three-stringer pallets. e Board then requested the Recyclers' Council and the Standards Committee to examine the matter and decide if a review should take place. e Recyclers' Council decided the conversation was worth having. It formed a task force, co-led by Carrie Collins of Collins Pallet and Daniel Reardon of Reardon Pallet Company. e task force and the Council have met six times since then to discuss the topic, and recyclers are paving the road each step of the way. "For years, the grade names and specifications for [48x40] recycled pallets have varied from one recycler to another," said Carrie. "Our task force is bringing that information together and gathering feedback from recyclers to develop common grade names and baseline standards for each grade. is effort gives us the opportunity to work together as an industry to define and reach consensus on those baseline standards, giving our customers a clear understanding of what to expect at a base level from each grade." Why Now Previously, the industry has attempted to correct the inconsistent grading terminology without achieving any success. e problem itself has not changed, but the cost of not solving it has. Cleaner Air. Lower Energy Costs. Happier People. 877-440-7770 www.atomikair.com Moves 1 Million Cubic Feet Per Hour Offers Destratification – Lowering Utility Cost by 20-40% Prevents Colds and Viruses from Spreading Stabilizes Warehouse Temperatures Washable Reuseable Filters