Cutting distribution emissions with UK plastic manufacturing

Palletower are committed to reducing our carbon footprint wherever we can. Sustainability isn’t just something we talk about now and again – it’s one of our core values. That’s why we’ve relocated our plastic production to the UK. Doing so means we’re helping to cut large-scale European imports and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, while continuing to serve our customers with the high-quality, sustainable plastic boxes they need.

A UK shift for Palletower’s plastic pallet boxes

The transition of our plastic production to the UK includes our plastic pallet boxes and other storage products such as plastic pallet collars, plastic containers, collapsible plastic box pallets and folding pallet boxes.

Previously, we chose to manufacture our plastic pallet boxes in Spain, Germany, and China. We also moulded and imported a significant number of plastic storage solutions from Istanbul, Turkey.

Although this has been our approach for many years, we were aware of the significant contribution this creates towards unnecessary emissions. To put this into context, a full lorry load of 104 plastic pallets weighing a total of 4.6 tonnes generates almost 2.6 tonnes of carbon emissions. We knew urgent change was needed to cut these emissions.

From June, our plastic pallet boxes will be manufactured in the UK. Not only will this dramatically decrease our carbon emissions but our plastic storage solutions will be 3kg lighter than any other competitor boxes, weighing between 27.1kg – 28.4kg depending on the design. However, this does not mean we are compromising on quality. Our plastic boxes retain the same strength and are available in a range of colours, with the option of adding company branding (e.g. a logo) for versatile use in numerous industries. We have also strengthened efficiencies in the moulding process, meaning that less plastic and energy are required for production.

Benefitting our customers with reduced carbon emissions

Reducing distribution emissions has been a key focus for all businesses within the plastic production and manufacturing industry, including ourselves. Like many other manufacturers, our carbon emission production was higher than it needed to be. We were generating around 15 tonnes of carbon emissions by transporting 607 plastic boxes from Istanbul to the UK. Although this is significantly less than other key players in the industry, we knew there was work to be done to reduce our impact. By moving to UK manufacturing, we can now save 2,569.7 KgCO2e per 104 boxes produced, as distribution emissions will be eliminated.

So, what does this mean for our customers? Palletower serves many industries, including logistics, supply chain, distribution, warehouse, operations, and food production and recycling. No matter the industry, all of our customers require high-quality plastic storage and transportation solutions that are cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and can keep up with ongoing demand. And that’s our promise.

Our UK-made plastic pallet boxes come with sustainability as a priority. Regardless of where they’re manufactured, we still use sustainable PP or HDPE material. HDPE is lightweight, easy to clean, and durable, so our plastic pallet boxes can be reused for many years.

We’re reducing our carbon footprint and helping you do the same. Once our plastic pallet boxes are at the end of their lifecycle, we will recycle them for you so we can continue to make new products from our UK distribution centre and reduce waste. We’ll also work with you to advise you on how to put your plastic to best use, whether that’s selling unused plastic or finding ways to recycle responsibly.

Moving to UK production also means we can cut costs for our customers, while lowering carbon emissions. Having nearby distribution centres means it costs less for us to ship and send products, which, in turn, lowers the cost of our plastic pallet boxes to you, our customers. It also means we’ve reduced lengthy supply chains by moving from abroad plastic production to UK facilities, which results in less delays and product waiting times for our customers.

The multi-purpose use of our plastic boxes makes them widely used in an array of industries to distribute products locally and globally. This means that the climate impact and change Palletower has made by moving our production to the UK benefits the industry as a whole.

Head to our plastic pallet boxes page to find out more product information.