InnoVent^® Sets New Sustainability Standards for Ventilating Pallet Wrap

Global warming, climate change, environmental impact. The more we hear about these developments in the headlines, the more we realize that bringing them under control will require a long, difficult journey.

Many experts believe that one of the main factors impacting the environment is packaging waste, particularly plastic packaging. So much so that the EU has passed several directives to reduce packaging waste. Yet despite successful implementation of these rulings, packaging waste in the region continues to grow. To help turn the tide, the EU added an amendment to its Packaging Directive in late 2023 that resets recycling targets for packaging – from the current 55% to 65% by 2025, and to 70% by 2030. As for plastic packaging, the EU doubled its current 25% target to 50% by 2025 and updated its 2030 goal to 55%.

Tama, a world leader in ventilating pallet wraps, aligns with these efforts and is doing whatever we can to lessen the environmental impact of our packaging materials. That’s why environment, including recycling, was top of mind when we developed our latest pallet wrap product, InnoVent. And the results speak for themselves.

Bringing together the best in pallet netting and ventilating film to deliver the industry’s highest quality ventilating pallet wrap, the revolutionary InnoVent is also setting new standards in sustainability. First off, the innovative product slashes packaging waste by 90% compared to widely used pallet corner board and PP strapping. InnoVent is also 100% recyclable and made from premium PE material. In fact, it contains at least 30% recycled material.

Moreover, InnoVent maintains a carbon footprint nearly 90% lower than traditional methods. Given its larger openings, which enable excellent air flow through to the wrapped goods, InnoVent uses less plastic and is more compact in both its waste form and original roll form than cardboard corners and PP straps utilized in conventional packaging. This translates to far lower transport requirements and costs: one truck of InnoVent carries the equivalent amount of pallet wrap as at least 20 trucks carrying pallet corner boards.

To highlight InnoVent’s environmental advantages, we recently commissioned a life cycle assessment (LCA) study comparing our new pallet wrap to corner boards and strapping. Conducted by the Blue North consulting firm, the study showed that product manufacturing, followed by transportation, represents the main environmental impact stage for InnoVent and the competition. Blue North also showed that recycling both product types is preferable to landfilling in terms of minimizing environmental impact.

Based on the study, InnoVent comes out ahead across many environmental parameters. Due to InnoVent’s lighter weight and lower production energy requirements, our packaging contributes significantly less to acidification, climate change, and water resource depletion. The study also showed that InnoVent requires fewer overall resources, generates fewer harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and poses a lower risk to human health during its use and disposal stages.

The conclusion is clear. By minimizing environmental impact on a life cycle analysis basis, InnoVent is the most sustainable choice when it comes to ventilating pallet wrap.