Oregon Considers Swapping Wood for Corrugated Pallets
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According to a report this past week by the Oregon Biz Journal, Portland, Ore., USA, Oregon lawmakers are currently considering a bill requiring state agencies to use corrugated cardboard pallets in their shipping and receiving activities. Proponents claim the move will reduce carbon emissions while reducing freight costs.
An environmental group says a bill requiring that state agencies use corrugated cardboard pallets in shipping and receiving activities would drastically reduce carbon emissions.
HB 4089 has bi-partisan sponsorship from Rep. Julie Parrish, a Republican from West Linn, and Rep. Paul Evans, a Monmouth Democrat. The bill is modeled after IKEA’s 2012 implementation of cardboard pallet usage across its supply chain. Oregon would be the first state to use the technology in its procurement process, according to Change the Pallet, the group backing the bill.
Change the Pallet launched last year and features an Oregon produced three minute short film promoting the transition for industry and asking for your petition for this pro-paper industry legislation to pass. According to the group, corrugated cardboard pallets have the power to reduce CO2 emissions by hundreds of millions of metric tons by transporting more product on fewer trucks and planes
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According to the white paper, just one truck is needed to transport 1,700 corrugated pallets to their destination, while four trucks are needed to transport the same number of wood pallets. IKEA, it says, has reported reducing its carbon output by 300,000 metric tons since 2012.
The first public hearing for the bill in the Legislature was February 3.
"IKEA’s market-proven model of creating efficiencies in their supply chain structure, while reducing their carbon footprint, certainly caught my attention," Rep. Parrish said in a statement.
"I immediately went to work crafting a bill that would allow Oregon to experience the same internal cost savings, allowing us to reduce worker compensation claims and improve safety, as well as reduce the number of trucks on our freeways."
