Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/763062
he Pallet Foundation is raising and committing more than $200,000 to projects that advance the wood pallet and wood packaging industry. From innovative research and collaborative marketing, to education and outreach, we're proud to share with you a snapshot of just some of the new programs being launched this year that will deliver short and long-term benefits to the entire industry. Partnerships form the basis for many of the Foundation's new initiatives, as they are an efficient and effective way to bring together the resources needed to impact the big issues facing our industry. We actively seek out new partnerships with other trade associations, the federal government and universities across the country to advance our issues. Nature's Packaging™ Launched two years ago, volunteers from CWPCA, WPA and NWPCA continue to meet monthly, and in 2016 they released a series of deliverables, including new white papers for the website (naturespackaging.org), advanced social media / blogging posts, and an expanded marketing resource portfolio that now includes a series of PDFs you can distribute to your customers. Website traffic is rapidly growing with the 'Carbon Calculator', marketing PDFs, and information on the Pallet Design System™ topping the list with the most hits. We encourage members to download the Nature's Packaging™ logo and visit its website to access the various marketing tools and resources now available. Nor th American Forest Par tnership ("Take Root" Campaign) The North American Forest Partnership (NAFP) is an initiative dedicated to the conservation, management and use of North America's forest resources. The $2 million environmental messaging and marketing initiative is made up of a wide cross-section of the wood products industry and has goals similar to Nature's Packaging™. NWPCA President/CEO Brent McClendon actively participates on the NAFP Board of Directors. U.S. Government Collaboration (EPD and BioPreferred® Program) NWPCA's signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Products Lab in 2016. As part of that partnership agreement, USDA has pledged to work with NWPCA and The Pallet Foundation on several aspects: • USDA BioPreferred® program • Environmental Product Declarations • Use of urban materials for new and refurbished wooden pallet and container manufacturing • Lumber design values for NWPCA's The Pallet Design System™ • Sanitary/hygienic properties of wood as they relate to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Environmental Product Declarations and Life Cycle Assessments In life cycle assessment, an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a standardized way of quantifying the environmental impact of a product or system. Declarations include information on the environmental impact of raw material acquisition, energy use 38 PalletCentral • November-December 2016 palletcentral.com T NWPCA's Pallet Foundation: Collaboration and Innovation Delivers in 2016