Sustainable packaging company PALLITE raises funds to help businesses avoid no deal ‘pallets crisis’

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 23 July 2019

Wellingborough, UK -  PALLITE®, the award-winning UK designer and manufacturer of lightweight, strong and environmentally friendly paper pallets and shipping crates has secured over £1,150,000 funding in on Crowdcube.

• PALLITE® pallets and boxes are exempt from key regulations that could create ‘pallets crisis’ in no deal scenario
• In a no deal scenario, only 1/3rd of existing UK pallets would be compliant, all others may not be allowed to be used for export
• PALLITE® has raised over £1.15m to fuel growth with 48hrs of fundraising remaining
• Fundraising comes as Boris Johnson likely to be made UK PM who has said that no deal must be an option.
• PALLITE® products are also much more environmentally friendly than traditional wooden and plastic equivalents

Helping businesses become ‘no deal’ ready

Because they are made from paper, PALLITE® products are exempt from ISPM-15 requirements which require heat treating or fumigation of wooden packaging to prevent disease transfer. The EU applies lower standards to members, allowing untreated pallets to move across borders but this benefit would be lost in a no deal scenario. It has been reported that only 1/3rd of existing UK pallets would be compliant should we leave with no deal.

PALLITE® is going to use the funding to ramp up production to ensure supply should the UK leave without a deal on 31st October. The company takes no position on Brexit but is aware that their products can help businesses prepare for a no deal scenario.

If suitable pallets were unable to be sourced, millions of tonnes of goods carried between the UK and EU may not be allowed to be transported. According to The Guardian more than 3m pallets move between the UK and EU every month and this scenario “could potentially lead to food shortages”.

Highly sustainable products

PALLITE®’s products reduce raw material use and carbon emissions to help businesses reduce their impact on the environment. PALLITE® pallets and pallet boxes are up to 83% lighter than traditional wooden and plastic alternatives - which can weigh over 60kg – and this reduces emissions in transit. If 30,000 pallets were air freighted from the UK to New York using PALLITE® rather than wooden pallets you’d reduce CO2 emissions by 4,612 tonnes.

Over 80% of PALLITE® product is made from recycled paper and all products are 100% recyclable at the end of their life, unlike traditional wooden and plastic pallets. And, because they use far less material, replacing every new pallet made in the UK in 2016 could have saved up to 600,000 trees. This is in the context of the UK Government’s recent commitment to plant just 130,000 trees for £10m.

PALLITE® products are designed and manufactured in the UK at their facility in Wellingborough.

Iain Hulmes, CEO of PALLITE, said:

“We are delighted that our fundraising has been such a success at an important time for the nation. While we don’t endorse any political position, we recognise the reality that, if there is no deal between the UK and EU, there could be a pallets crisis and PALLITE® are in a position to help. Any business concerned about being able to move goods between the UK and EU should consider our sustainable and regulation-exempt pallets and boxes to ensure they can keep their supply chains moving."

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