Translations

OPALEAN reinforces the circular economy of wood pallets, for a more responsible supply chain

4. Environment

Sector Industry

Year 2021

Country France

Transmitter

Context

Created in 2012, Opalean is a digital platform that strengthens the circular economy related to the management of Europe's pallets.

In France, 50 million wooden pallets are manufactured annually but 10 to 15% are lost after a single use (5 to 7.5 million units), which is the equivalent of 200 hectares of forest.

Opalean aims to recover 100% of the pallets in circulation. So that logistics actors don't just use them, but reuse them more and better!

Objectives

Acting for a more efficient and sustainable supply chain
Preserve the planet by strengthening the circular economy of packaging
Extend the life cycle of European pallets by optimizing the rotation rate
Recover 100% of wooden pallets, to limit the purchase of new materials and preserve natural resources

APPROACH

Nearly 500 million European pallets circulate around the world. But with a loss rate of 10 to 15%, resulting from a siloed operation and a lack of communication between logistics players, this represents a real economic and environmental disaster.

In 2012, the Opalean web platform was created with the aim of making the supply chain more eco-responsible. The solution helps to increase the quantity and quality of recycled and available European pallets. By recovering 100% of the pallets in circulation, Opalean limits the purchase of new pallets, preserves the natural resource wood and indirectly fights against deforestation.

How does it work? Opalean offers real-time visibility on pallet flows, allowing for better restitution, fewer purchases and less losses. By pooling information, the collaborative platform helps supply chain actors to increase the duration of use of the support, its reuse and to act in favor of the circular economy of packaging ... while reducing costs related to management and transport.

Today, Opalean manages 10 million pallets per year. With a recovery rate close to 100% (compared to 85 to 90% with traditional management tools), 1 million supports are reused, which means 45,000 m3 of wood saved ... or 10 times the structure of Notre Dame.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

The promotion of a responsible management of pallets allows us to win customers committed to a CSR policy (e.g. McCain, Leroy Merlin, Adeo)
Obtaining the Responsible Economy Trophy, Gold mention, in 2020
At the end of 2020, Opalean is committed to reforestACTION and offers trees to its customers to plant

Benefits

Employees are involved in a meaningful, innovative and responsible solution
1 million wooden pallets recovered and recycled annually via the platform
100% of end-of-life pallets recovered for energy recovery
With our customers and reforestACTION: 2,732 trees planted, 410 tons of CO2 stored, 8,200 shelters created for the local fauna