“The Logistics Hall of Fame recognizes individuals worldwide who have shown exceptional dedication to the continuous development of logistics and supply chain management,” explains the Logistics Hall of Fame website. EPAL said in an announcement that it is proud to be able to count itself in this group as a ‘Pallet Pioneer’ and would like to express its thanks for the appreciation that goes with this award of the EPAL Euro pallet pool, the many users of EPAL Euro pallets, and the EPAL licensees who have made this significant success possible through the production and repair of EPAL Euro pallets.
On the occasion of the award, Bernd Dörre, EPAL CEO, answered a few questions from the Logistics Hall of Fame in the following written interview:
What has been the most significant event in the history of the pallet as far as your service is concerned?
Bernd Dörre: The most significant event happened in 1989, two years before EPAL was founded, and that was the opening of the borders between Western and Eastern Europe, which had divided the people of Europe up to that point. The movement of goods came with the freedom of movement for people, and the load carrier of choice for this new freedom was the EPAL Euro pallet.
Until 1989, pallet associations were national affairs: in Germany, it was the Gütegemeinschaft Paletten e.V. which was founded in 1977. These associations quickly recognized that the rapidly growing movement of goods through the now undivided Europe needed a standardized, high-quality, interchangeable Euro pallet. And success was just around the corner.
Shortly after EPAL was founded in 1991 by the EPAL associations in Germany, France, and Switzerland, other EPAL associations were set up in Poland, Italy, Spain, and many other European countries. This tight net of manufacturers and users of EPAL Euro pallets and the countless goods transported on EPAL Euro pallets today connect people throughout Europe and many other countries across the globe.
The birth of EPAL and the EPAL Euro pallet pool, and what was undoubtedly the most significant event in the history of EPAL Euro pallets, was overcoming the division of Europe. The importance and success of EPAL can also be seen in the numbers.
More than 100 million EPAL Euro pallets were produced in 2021 for the first time in a calendar year and there are more than approximately 625 million EPAL Euro pallets in circulation – a conservative estimate. This means that EPAL is the largest Euro pallet pool in the world by far. Users from retail and industry can be provided with EPAL Euro pallets at any time due to a large number of EPAL Euro pallets in circulation and the more than 1,500 EPAL production and repair operations.
Unlike other pool operators, users have not seen any disruption to the supply of Euro pallets through the EPAL exchange pool since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Despite the war and sanctions, compared to the previous year, EPAL licensees increased the production of EPAL Euro pallets by 6.25 million pallets (+12.5 %) in the first six months of 2022. EPAL has therefore provided an impressive demonstration of the resilience of pallet supply through the EPAL Euro pallet pool, which has been extremely important during this period of time.
What challenges will pallets face in the future?
Bernd Dörre: It is impossible to conceive of the world today without the EPAL Euro pallet and so it must also face today’s central global challenge, that of overcoming climate change and all its impacts on the environment and people.
Many countries have experienced exceptional heat and drought this year, as well as the associated forest fires and damage to trees and nature. Using wood for economic and industrial purposes will only be possible in the future if it is part of sustainable forestry and the responsible use of wood as a resource. EPAL Euro pallets and the EPAL exchange pool have already met these prerequisites for many years.
EPAL Euro pallets are predominantly produced from regional and certified timber stocks and the use and exchange of EPAL Euro pallets over a period of many years significantly reduce the demand for wood. The use of energy from predominantly renewable resources and 100% recyclability complement the positive climate and environmental impact of the EPAL Euro pallet. The challenge for the years ahead will be to make the use and exchange of EPAL Euro pallets through the open EPAL exchange pool more attractive for even more companies and in even more countries so that logistics and the packaging industry can make an even greater contribution to protecting the climate.
What plans do you have for the future of the pallet?
Bernd Dörre: The success of the EPAL Euro pallet is directly associated with pallet exchange through the open EPAL exchange pool, which is an exemplar of a functioning circular economy. The future of the EPAL Euro pallet depends on making the use and exchange of EPAL Euro pallets through the open EPAL exchange pool even easier and better.
Key to this is the further digitalization of the processes where EPAL Euro pallets are used. The next step on this path is the serialization of EPAL Euro pallets which will allow users from logistics, retail, and industry to capture individual EPAL Euro pallets’ locations and load. At the same time, tomorrow’s logistics solutions are being constantly sought out in the EPAL Innovation Lab, the EPAL workshop of the future. EPAL is already preparing itself for the coming decades of the Euro pallet through direct dialogue with EPAL Euro pallet users and the many EPAL exchange pool service providers.