A new Brussels-focused alliance, Wood Pallets for Europe, was announced on 17 September 2026 to give the wooden pallet sector a coordinated, evidence-based voice with European Union institutions and policymakers.
Who is behind the alliance?
The founding group brings together four businesses — CJ Sheeran Group, Euroblock Verpackungsholz GmbH, Foresco and PGS Group — alongside EPAL and Woodpack Global. The launch statement says its members manufacture, repair and manage a significant share of the wooden pallets circulating across Europe.
That mix is important. It includes major pallet businesses involved in repair and reuse, as well as EPAL and Woodpack Global. Foresco’s operations include pallet sorting, repair and reuse, so businesses working directly with circular and reconditioned pallet systems are represented in the alliance.
A policy voice built around circular pallet systems
Wood Pallets for Europe says it will engage with EU institutions through data-driven advocacy. Its launch statement puts reuse, repair, refurbishment and eventual recycling at the centre of the sector’s case, arguing that future legislation should recognise both the characteristics of wood and the different circular systems that keep pallets in service.
This is strategically significant in the current Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) environment. Reusable wooden pallet systems now have a dedicated route into the Brussels policy discussion while practical questions about documentation, conformity and implementation continue to develop.
What the launch does not decide
The creation of the alliance is not a PPWR exemption, conformity decision or ruling on anonymous or mixed UK whitewood pallets. In particular, it does not establish that every reused or reconditioned pallet is compliant. Pallet condition, identity, documentation and any applicable legal requirements still need to be assessed as the detailed PPWR framework is implemented.
Why this matters for UK pallet businesses
UK pallet exporters, buyers and suppliers of used or reconditioned wooden pallets should watch the alliance’s work because EU packaging rules can affect the practical treatment of pallet systems crossing into European supply chains. That includes the widely used 1200 × 800 mm Euro footprint and 1200 × 1000 mm UK Standard format, as well as other wooden pallet specifications.
The launch gives repair, reuse and refurbishment operators a direct industry voice in Brussels; it does not replace due diligence. Businesses should continue following PPWR documentation and conformity developments and checking requirements with their customers and supply-chain partners rather than treating the announcement as an exemption.
PPWR and ISPM 15 also answer different questions. PPWR concerns packaging regulation and circularity, while ISPM 15 concerns plant-health treatment and marking for solid wood packaging used in international trade. UK exporters should continue checking both the destination’s wood-packaging rules and the pallet specification their buyer requires. Our ISPM 15 guide for exporters explains those separate plant-health requirements.
What pallet users should monitor next
- Further PPWR guidance on documentation, conformity and the treatment of reusable transport packaging.
- How EU policy distinguishes managed pallet systems from anonymous or mixed pallet flows in practice.
- Customer specifications for EPAL, Euro-size and UK Standard pallets, which should not be treated as interchangeable descriptions.
British businesses buying or selling used pallets can review our pages on 1200 × 800 mm Euro pallets and graded used wooden pallets for the distinctions we use when quoting stock.