Life cycle assessment comparison of wooden and plastic pallets in the grocery industry

Anil, S. K.; Ma, Junfeng; Kremer, Gül E.; Ray, Charles D.; Shahidi, Shirin M.

doi:10.1111/jiec.12974

Cited by 20 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In view of current practice, most of the supply chain parties, such as logistics service providers, manage their own pallets in a linear flow, from sourcing, keeping pallet inventory, and using pallets in various scenarios to disposing of damaged pallets. As shown in Figure 1 , four pitfalls are summarised in the current linear pallet management strategy, which is synthesised by the work [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Firstly, fumigation and heat treatment are two typical methods for insect control in wooden pallets under the international standards for phytosanitary measure no.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Blockchain-IoT Platform for the Smart Pallet Pooling Management

Tsang

Lee

et al. 2021

Sensors

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Pallet management as a backbone of logistics and supply chain activities is essential to supply chain parties, while a number of regulations, standards and operational constraints are considered in daily operations. In recent years, pallet pooling has been unconventionally advocated to manage pallets in a closed-loop system to enhance the sustainability and operational effectiveness, but pitfalls in terms of service reliability, quality compliance and pallet limitation when using a single service provider may occur. Therefore, this study incorporates a decentralisation mechanism into the pallet management to formulate a technological eco-system for pallet pooling, namely Pallet as a Service (PalletaaS), raised by the foundation of consortium blockchain and Internet of things (IoT). Consortium blockchain is regarded as the blockchain 3.0 to facilitate more industrial applications, except cryptocurrency, and the synergy of integrating a consortium blockchain and IoT is thus investigated. The corresponding layered architecture is proposed to structure the system deployment in the industry, in which the location-inventory-routing problem for pallet pooling is formulated. To demonstrate the values of this study, a case analysis to illustrate the human–computer interaction and pallet pooling operations is conducted. Overall, this study standardises the decentralised pallet management in the closed-loop mechanism, resulting in a constructive impact to sustainable development in the logistics industry.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Firstly, fumigation and heat treatment are two typical methods for insect control in wooden pallets under the international standards for phytosanitary measure no. 15 (ISPM-15) developed by international plant protection convention (IPPC) [ 2 ]. If the pallets are treated by fumigation, the validity period only lasts for 21 days.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Blockchain-IoT Platform for the Smart Pallet Pooling Management

Tsang

Lee

et al. 2021

Sensors

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“…It can also last longer than a lifetime when treated correctly, and waste from production of wooden materials is limited and one hundred percent degradable. Given that wooden pallets are more environmentally friendly and more eco-friendly than plastic pallets due to current concerns about climate change [ 30 , 31 ], this wooden skull model carved from J. mimosifolia , though not easy or simple to illustrate all the structures clearly especially the internal structures, may be a better alternative to plastic models. The researcher, therefore, looks forward to overcoming the limitations encountered in the process of carving subsequently by ensuring to improve on the external features as well as properly carving out the internal structures to effectively demonstrate in detail the anatomical structures with minimal defects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Wooden Skull: An Innovation through the Use of Local Materials and Technology to Promote the Teaching and Learning of Human Anatomy

Mugagga

Mwarisi

Dare

2020

BioMed Research International

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Skeleton models are important in facilitating a student’s easy retention and recollection of information in the future. These may assist students carry out hands-on practice in order to acquire and practice new skills that are relevant to first aid. The increasing number of medical institutions and medical students attracts the challenge of inadequate facilitation of the teaching and learning processes. This warrants a study and/or an exploration of an alternative solution such as wooden models in order to solve the problem of scarce and ethically restricted human teaching aids. Wooden pieces (50 cm length×20 cm diameter) from a Jacaranda mimosifolia tree were prepared for the carving process, and wooden replicas of human skulls were made. Two experimental groups of randomly selected medical students (60: active and 60: control) were separately taught using wooden and natural skull models, respectively. The two groups were assessed and evaluated using the natural skull models to compare their understanding of the anatomy of the skull. Additionally, opinion statements were collected from participants in the active group during the oral examination. Six (6) wooden skull models were produced and used for experimental study. Comparisons of academic scores (mean and median) between active (students using the wooden skull) and control (students using natural skull) groups showed no statistically significant difference (P≥0.05). Concerning the enhancement of learning skills, the wooden model was constructed in a way that would be able to enhance learning as it would be the natural skull. The wooden skull model, with more improvement in structural formation, can adequately facilitate the teaching and learning of anatomy of the human skull. This project and the experimental study about utilization of the wooden skull model provide a good potential of using the wooden models to supplement the use of the natural human skull.

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“…Four works focus specifically on the impacts of packaging of different materials: [82] compares disposable wood pallets with reusable steel cradles through LCA, showing the advantages of this latter option. The comparison between plastic and wood pallets is performed in five LCA studies: [83,84] underline the lower environmental impacts related to wood pallets, while [85] points out that the results depend on the type of plastic and wood considered. The author of [1] focuses on the impacts during transportation and confirms the better performance of wood versus plastic.…”

Section: Supply Chainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management and Logistics of Returnable Transport Items: A Review Analysis on the Pallet Supply Chain

et al. 2021

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Pallets are among the most used returnable transport items (RTIs), and they are critical assets for a supply chain as they have significant environmental and economic impacts during their whole life cycle. Differently from other packaging products, pallets are specifically designed to be repeatably repaired and reinjected for use. While this environmentally is beneficial as it reduces waste, it can create complex interactions between the stakeholder-involved manufacturers, pallet providers, users and recyclers. Further, the number of different actors is usually high, and the flow of materials among them needs to be coordinated. In addition, different business models can be implemented (such as internal management versus outsourcing) as well as logistics alternatives (closed- versus open-loop). Thus, the aims of this study are first to propose a systematization of design and management decisions regarding the pallet supply chain; next, to review the state of the art models and tools adopted to support each decision process relying on an analysis of the archival literature published between 1978 and 2021 on pallet management, to summarize the main decision problems addressed by the different stakeholders involved in the pallet life cycle and the adopted methods, and, finally, to highlight potential existing research gaps. This effort helps to outline potential contributions towards more sustainable pallet supply chains and can support pallet operators and companies in evaluating solutions to increase the economic and environmental sustainability of their pallet management. Results show that the perspectives of the pallet provider and of the supply chain are the most widely addressed in the existing literature, while those of pallet manufacturers and repairers should be further analyzed.

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Life cycle assessment comparison of wooden and plastic pallets in the grocery industry

Cited by 20 publications

References 20 publications

A Blockchain-IoT Platform for the Smart Pallet Pooling Management

A Blockchain-IoT Platform for the Smart Pallet Pooling Management

The Wooden Skull: An Innovation through the Use of Local Materials and Technology to Promote the Teaching and Learning of Human Anatomy

Management and Logistics of Returnable Transport Items: A Review Analysis on the Pallet Supply Chain

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