Plastic can be reused more often, is cheaper to recycle and is not in short supply. It is not a villainous element. It can be quickly and easily recycled at low cost, making it environmentally friendly and cost efficient.
ISPM15 is an international phytosanitary measure, first introduced in 2003 to stem the spread of pests associated with shipping goods on wooden pallets or plastic pallets. Wood is the breeding ground of insects such as the Asian Longhorned beetle, which burrows into trees. Through importing and exporting, the beetle was artificially introduced into other countries in wooden packaging material and with no natural predators in these new environments, devastated woodlands around the world.
The majority of the main trading countries, such as the UK and the US, are already enforcing ISPM15. These also include Canada, China, Turkey, Argentina, and Japan.
ISPM15 specifies that wooden pallets must be treated before international shipping in one of two ways. The first is heat treatment. This involves heating the wood to a core temperature of 56C for a minimum of 30 minutes. The second is fumigation, when methyl bromide (a lethal chemical suspected of causing cancer) is used to fumigate the wood. Both these treatments are time consuming and expensive. Plastic pallet do not harbour pests like wooden ones. As a result, they are exempt from the ISPM 15 legislation. They do not require any expensive treatments before shipping abroad.