The benefits of one-way fiber-based pallet collars
Nefab’s EdgePak Collar is a lightweight, fiber-based alternative to wooden pallet collars. This award-winning concept benefits companies who want to use pallet collars to pack and ship products in one-way shipments. These paper-based pallet collars offer the same convenience when compared to wooden alternatives along with the added benefit of reducing CO2-eq emissions, landfill waste, and transport costs in one-way flows.
The EdgePak Collar is a lightweight, fiber-based pallet collar solution. Up to three corrugated collars are fixated and reinforced by strong, insertable corners made from strawboard. The unique combination of corrugated packaging and foldable strawboard corners gives this solution an outstanding stacking strength that can withstand the demands of challenging supply chains. A paper-recyclable lid and bottom complete the solution on top of standard wooden pallets.
Wooden pallet collars are a well-established packaging solution. It is a standardized way of transporting goods, that offers flexibility and ergonomically friendly access to packaged goods. Made from durable materials, it is an excellent solution for returnable flows.
However, in terms of sustainability and cost the relatively heavy wooden pallet collars may not be the best solution for one-way shipments or uncontrolled flows. For this reason, in one-way flows, we recommend switching to EdgePak Collar. Lighter weight, improved recyclability and the same functionality make it an ideal alternative to wooden pallet collars in one-way shipments.
Transitioning to EdgePak Collar is easy, as this solution provides the same convenience as the traditional pallet collar concept. These collars are the same height (200mm) as traditional wooden collars and can still be stacked on top of a standard pallet to a flexible height. EdgePak Collar is quick to assemble and offers more ergonomic handling than the standard wooden solution. Engineered reinforcements such as foldable strawboard corners provide the required strength to withstand the demands in challenging supply chains. In sum, this makes it easy to transition to EdgePak Collars for one-way shipments without compromising on functionality or convenience.
One of our customers is a Swedish multinational company known for being the world's largest bearing manufacturer. They shared the data for a total cost analysis with us so we could evaluate the possibility of implementing a one-way solution for dedicated flows. Previously, this company used wooden collars for one-way flows, which were identified as being less than optimal in terms of CO2 emissions. With a complete one-way fiber-based pallet collar solution, we were able to help them reduce both cost and CO2 emissions in their supply chain.
With EdgePak Collar, together with our customer, we developed an optimized solution made from sustainable materials, such as corrugated collars and strawboard corners. This made the packaging solution lighter and easier to handle with improved ergonomics. Additionally, fiber-based pallet collars provide financial and environmental savings: 53% lower CO2 output in 1-way flows, which is equivalent to 2678 vehicles driven for 1 year according to Nefab's GreenCALC.