Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/763062
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • November-December 2016 39 and efficiency, content of materials and chemical substances, emissions to air, soil and water, and waste generation. An EPD is created and verified in accordance with the International Standard ISO 14025, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). EPDs are based on a Life-cycle assessment according to ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. Currently, no EPDs exist for wood pallets. As part of the MOU, USDA agreed to commit $50,000 and provide technical oversight for the $110,000 two-year project. USDA BioPreferred® Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the goal of the BioPreferred® program is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products. As part of the NWPCA Memorandum of Understanding, activities are already underway to broaden industry recognition through the program. Currently, licensees of PDS are automatically listed into the USDA BioPreferred® Program. Learn more about BioPreferred® on page 20. University Collaboration and Innovation Dr. Brad Gething, NWPCA, continues to visit several university packaging schools to elevate the wood packaging industry within the university community. Outreach includes a PDS briefing and information on the positive environmental attributes of wood packaging materials. Trips this year to Virginia Tech, West Virginia and University of Wisconsin- Stout (with support from The Pallet Foundation Chair Bob Wenner) reached nearly 100 undergraduate and graduate packaging and wood products students. The Pallet Foundation committed $60,000 in March for a collaborative effort with Virginia Tech and the U.S. Forest Service for a pallet industry update and landfill avoidance survey. The Pallet Foundation is also continuing to provide $97,000 in funding for Page Clayton, a full time graduate student at VT, for the following project: Investigation of the Effect of Corrugated Boxes on the Distribution of Compression Stresses on the Top Surface of Wooden Pallets. Research has begun to investigate the effect of the size of corrugated boxes on the distribution of stresses on the top surface of the pallet. During the laboratory experiments, full scale unit loads are being investigated for the most commonly used support conditions. The behavior observed during the laboratory experiments will be validated using field experiments. PC This summary shows the power of people coming together around a shared mission. We thank all the contributors to the Foundation which help fund these initiatives. The Pallet Foundation Trustees leadership and guidance drives these programs, and we thank them all for the countless hours they devote to these projects. The Pallet Foundation Trustees Chair Bob Wenner, Pallet Service Corporation Vice Chair Jordan Piland, Atlas Pallets/Div. of Williamsburg Millwork Emeritus Paul Frank, Jr, Three Seventeen Corporation Clint Binley, Pallets, Inc. Sukhi Brar, Advance Pallet & Crate Ed Brindley, Jr., Industrial Reporting Kathleen Dietrich, Commercial Lumber & Pallet Michael Doyle, The Pallet Factory Jan Fredell, Fredell Travaru AB Stephen Grimes, Pallet Resource of NC, Inc. Larry Konz, Konz Wood Products John Lieber, Profile Technology Inc. Bill MacCauley, John Rock, Inc. Peter Murphy, USA PalleÅt and Logistics James Ruder, L & R Pallet Service, Inc. Bill Schneider, Remmey – The Pallet Company Jim Schwab, Pallet Logistics of America Frank Shean, Valley Pallet Carolyn Beach-Skinner, Westside Pallet, Inc. Jimmy Wilson, Bay Wood Products, Inc. Steve Yelland, JFR Holdings Contribute to The Pallet Foundation Contributions to The Pallet Foundation may be made online (secure server at palletcentral.com) or mail a check/money order to: The Pallet Foundation, Inc. c/o NWPCA, 1421 Prince Street, Suite 340, Alexandria, VA 22314. The Pallet Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation and all contributions are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Contributors will receive a statement for tax purposes. Please contact the foundation treasurer, Michael Saylor, if you need additional assistance at 703-519-6104.