Editing Pallet (section)

=== Plastic ===
{{ibid|date=November 2024}}
[[File:Three Plastic Pallets (Asian, Grocery Manufacturers Association Pallet, Auto Skiff).jpg|thumb|Three different types of plastic pallets.|alt=Refer to caption]]

Plastic pallets are often made of new [[HDPE]] or recycled [[polyethylene terphthalate|PET]] (drink bottles). They are usually extremely durable, lasting for a hundred trips or more,<ref name="Raballandibid">Raballand, ibid., p. 11</ref>{{fcn|reason=[[WP:IBID]]date=November 2024|date=November 2024}} and resist weathering, rot, chemicals and corrosion.  The benefits of plastic pallets over wood pallets include the ability to be easily sanitized, resistance to odor, fire retardancy, longer service life span, durability and better product protection, non-splintering, and lighter weight, thus saving on transportation and labor costs and making them safer and more environmentally friendly. They often stack. Plastic pallets are exempt by inspection for biosafety concerns, and easily sanitize for international shipping. HDPE is impervious to most acids, and toxic chemicals clean from them more easily. Some plastic pallets can collapse from plastic [[creep (deformation)|creep]] if used to store heavy loads for long periods. Plastic pallets cannot easily be repaired, and can be ten times as expensive as hardwood,<ref name="Raballandibid" /> so they are often used by logistics service providers who can profit from their durability and stackability. The large supply chains have increased the use of plastic pallets as many organisations seek to reduce costs through waste, transport, and health and safety. Pallets and [[dolly (trailer)|dollies]] can be combined (for example the Pally),<ref>{{cite web |date=April 1, 2008 |title=Combined pallet and dolly unit |url=http://www.hsmsearch.com/stories/articles/-/handling_storing/goods_lifts/combined_pallet_and_dolly_unit/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224115245/http://www.hsmsearch.com/stories/articles/-/handling_storing/goods_lifts/combined_pallet_and_dolly_unit/ |archive-date=24 February 2012 |work=Health & Safety Matters<!--URL was evidently already dead on this date:|access-date=1 September 2016-->}}</ref> eliminating pallet instability and the need for additional lifting equipment along with creating valuable space in busy operating environments. They also deliver significant time and cost savings by reducing supply chain handling. Plastics' reusability has contributed to an increase in usage of plastic pallets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ptonline.com/articles/plastic-pallets-gain-ground-in-an-eco-conscious-world|title=Plastic Pallets Gain Ground In an Eco-Conscious World|last=Grande |first=Joseph A.|date=September 2008|work=Plastics Technology|access-date=8 June 2014}}</ref>

Plastic pallets are produced and used widely in the U.S. and Europe, spurred by the adoption of the ISPM 15. A full comparison of wood vs plastic can be made by a [[life cycle analysis]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Lee|first=S. G.|title=A simplified life cycle assessment of re-usable and single-use bulk transit packaging|journal=Packaging Technology and Science|volume=17|issue=2|pages=67–83|date=March 2004|doi=10.1002/pts.643|s2cid=110349416 }}</ref> Plastic pallets can cost 10 times as much as hardwood pallets<ref name="Raballandibid" /> and even more expensive compared to cheap expendable softwood pallets. [[RFID]] chips can be molded into the pallets to monitor locations and track inventory.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Asset-Tracking Technology Helps iGPS Rescue Its Pallets|date=March 5, 2012|first=Claire |last=Swedberg|url=https://www.rfidjournal.com/news/asset-tracking-technology-helps-igps-rescue-its-pallets/84028/<!--Old URL. Adding new pages currently not possible due to archive.org recovering from a security breach:|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317152306/http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/9284|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 17, 2012-->|magazine=RFID Journal|pages=49–60|access-date=15 October 2012}}</ref>

There are six main types of plastic processes that are used to manufacture pallets:<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology|last=Yam|first=K. L.|date=2009|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-0-470-08704-6}}</ref>

* High pressure injection molding
* Structural foam molding
* Thermoforming
* Compression molding
* Rotational molding
* Profile extrusion