CHEP is owned by the $14 billion ASX-listed Brambles, which operates the largest pool of reusable pallets in the world. Ms Mannes said CHEP’s total pool of pallets had increased in the past year, with it buying 41 per cent more pallets compared to a normal year.
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Daniel Bunnet, the local executive vice president of Loscam, said the number of pallets being returned to its depots dropped almost 50 per cent in September.
“Over the past few months we have witnessed a significant increase in pallet sharing among our customers,” he said in a letter sent to customers last month and obtained by this masthead.
“This will continue to seriously impede our ability to meet the basic market demand until this practice ceases.”
Mr Bunnet said the practice was also a safety risk, as Loscam could not inspect or repair the pallets, and the group could not meet market demand until it ceased.
“We also encourage you to raise this with your own trading parties, including retailers, who may be supporting this practice,” he said.
The major supermarkets and the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) have established a “pallet taskforce” to try and get more wooden trays into circulation.
AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said that would include coordinating communication between suppliers, retailers and governments.
“Many companies are currently building stock ahead of the peak Christmas period and the importance of making sure production is optimised across the industry is a key reason for the AFGC bringing stakeholders together to ensure pallet availability impacts are minimised over the next few months,” she said.
Retailers, manufacturers hoarding trays fuels ‘pallet-gate’ shortage
Source: Philippines Alive
