What’s your experience when you tell others you work for a company involved in wood pallets?

I get three responses:

• I know there are pallets, but I never thought about where they come from.
• One of the hardest jobs I ever had… And they proceed to tell how they had to load them or dispose of them or stack them.
• They tell me about the pallets they used in a campfire.

Finally, they want to know if I am concerned about plastic replacing them.

These facts about pallets and wood are on the website of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association:

• Ninety-five percent of all U.S. packaged products are shipped on pallets, 92 percent of which are made from wood.
• Nearly $400 billion worth of American trade is exported annually on wood pallets and containers worldwide.
• Wood packaging is the most cost-effective transport and storage platform.
• Wood pallets and containers can be customized to the product – its shape, size and weight; this customization can enhance product protection and help keep supply chain workers safe.
• Wood pallets and containers make use of raw materials that would be discarded were it not for wood packaging products (lumber grade not used by building, furniture and flooring industries).

We work in a vital industry. Everyone may not know how or where pallets are built, but most have some experience with them.

And, because of the versatility and strength of wood and how it makes durable pallets, I feel secure about the future of our product.