From regulation to real impact: how reusable load carrier are transforming supply chains for good.
24 June 2025In 2022, the EU generated an estimated 186.5 kg of packaging waste per person. This alarming number has become a call to action — and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) is setting a new standard for how packaging should be designed, used, and recovered across Europe.
While recycling has long been a focus, the PPWR recognises that reuse delivers greater sustainability benefits. And at Faber Group, we’ve been building reusable systems for decades.
vPOOL offer durable, repairable load carriers through pooling systems. These load carrier are designed for long-term use and supported by maintenance programmes that extend their life far beyond a single trip.
The issue with Single-Use load carrier
Single-use load carrier, often made from low-grade wood or composite materials, are typically discarded after just one shipment — either landfilled, incinerated, or at best, recycled. But even recycling requires collection, transport, and energy-intensive processing. These pallets drive ongoing demand for virgin timber and contribute to a high-carbon, linear packaging model.
Why Reuse Beats Recycling
Recycling breaks materials down to create something new. Reuse avoids this altogether — retaining shape, value, and function with minimal input. It saves energy, avoids resource extraction, and eliminates the repeated cycles of production and disposal. Under the PPWR, packaging must not only be reusable by design — but functionally reused through a system like pooling.
Environmental Benefits of Reusable Load Carrier vs. One-way alternatives
- Less wood: One reusable pallet can replace 20 to 50 single-use pallets over its lifespan, saving 100–200 kg of timber.
- Lower emissions: Lifecycle emissions can drop by up to 60%.
- Less waste: Reusable pallets are refurbished, not discarded.
- Less energy use: Repairing a pallet uses far less energy than recycling.
- Circularity in practice: Our systems keep materials in use longer and close the loop at end-of-life.
At vPOOL, we believe reuse is the smarter, more sustainable choice — and the most direct way to align with the PPWR’s waste hierarchy: prevent waste first, reuse where possible, and recycle only when needed. Watch our CEO Ingrid Faber explain how we’re helping customers make the shift.