iGPS, an Orlando-based plastic pallet maker, is working to tout the energy- and materials-saving properties of its RFID-equipped shipping platforms.

Nearly 40 percent of all hardwood harvested in the United States is used for pallets, about two-thirds of which are limited-use, one-way pallets, according to a company release. Even for those pallets that end up in longer-term use, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates a wooden shipping pallet lasts just three trips before it must be taken out of service, shipped to a service facility, repaired and shipped back into service. Wooden shipping pallets also are not well-suited to RFID technology, which companies are increasingly using to gain greater control over supply chains.

iGPS rents its plastic pallets, which last up to 100 trips before needing repair, rather than selling them. Doing so allows the company to take back and remanufacture damaged or worn-out pallets, rather than sending them to landfills or for “downcycling” into other wood-based products such as paper or particleboard.

The iGPS pallets, made from natural gas–derived virgin plastic, are 50 percent lighter than wood pallets, which cuts down on the weight of shipments and thus shipping-related emissions.