Heat Treatment
Robinsons can supply Heat Treated Pallets with IPPC Stamp only or IPPC Stamp and Certificate if required.
Robinsons can supply heat treated pallets with the necessary IPPC stamp or with the IPPC stamp and certificate if required. Mostly commonly supplied are:
- Grade 1 Perimeter Base, 1200×1000 Heat Treated
- Grade 1 Stamped Euro, 1200×800 Heat Treated
Please verify with your shipping agent if a certificate proof of heat treatment is required for your pallets.
Robinsons can also supply plastic pallets, which are an alternative to wooden pallets as they do not require ISPM15 certification.
Why Heat Treatment?
When moving wooden materials such as reconditioned pallets across international borders, there is a risk of introducing tree pests (or insects and diseases) to new areas, potentially harming ecosystems. This danger is recognized by the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and as a result, most of the UK’s global trading partners now adopt and enforce regulations for wood packaging material to ensure these risks are mitigated.
In place since 2002, ISPM15 (International Standard for a Phytosanitary Measure) states that wood materials greater than 6mm thick must be treated prior to cross-border shipment. The regulation affects all wood packaging material (pallets, crates, dunnages, etc.), requiring the packaging to be treated with heat and subsequently marked with a seal of compliance. This is to ensure that the most sustainable option for logistics in reconditioned wood packaging remains environmentally friendly.
Packaging products exempt from ISPM15 are alternative materials such as plastic, paper, or other manufactured wood products, for example plywood.
Enforcement of ISPM15 in the UK is overseen by members of an Advisory Council, including representatives from the Forestry Commission, Forest Service, Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation (TIMCON), National Association of Pallet Distributors (NAPD), United Kingdom Forest Products Association (UKFPA), and the British European Pallet Association Ltd (BREPAL).
Find Out More About Heat Treating
If you would like to learn more about heat treating and ISPM15, follow the links below to read more:
http://www.palletlink.co.uk/ispm-15/ispm-15-phytosanitary/
ISPM 15 – Wikipedia
Note: Wikipedia states methyl bromide as a chemical used for wood fumigation. This process is no longer in use, following a phase out in February 2010.
ISPM15 Home
The UK Wood Packaging Material Marking Programme (ukwpmmp.org)
ISPM15 Requirements
The UK Wood Packaging Material Marking Programme (ukwpmmp.org)
ISPM15 Exporters’ Guide
The UK Wood Packaging Material Marking Programme (ukwpmmp.org)
TIMCON ISPM15
TIMCON – The Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation
Global Exporters’ Guide
TIMCON – The Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation
Penalties for Imported WPM that does not comply with ISPM15 (timcon.org)
IPPC – International Plant Protection Convention
WTO Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
WTO | Sanitary and phytosanitary measures – gateway