Supply chain

CEI-Bois, the European confederation of woodworking industries, hopes a major research project could help its lobbying efforts, should fears that biomass plants will divert timber intended for the pallet industry be realised.

The research, which will be published in September as part of the Roadmap 2010 project, will provide reliable statistics for the first time on the employment benefits and environmental importance of the timber packaging and pallet industry.

Pallet companies are typically located in quite remote locations that rely on the businesses for employment, so closures in these areas could affect whole communities.

Gil Covey, the outgoing president of the European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers, said the research would be a “very important tool” for associations in lobbying governments.

According to Covey, 25% of sawn timber in the UK is used to make timber pallets.

In October 2007, Timcon joined CEI-Bois in presenting its concerns about biomass plants to 50 members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Two biomass plants with a combined annual capacity of 850,000 tonnes are due to open in Irvine and Invergordon this year.