At first glance, the plastic film used to secure your pallets seems like a minor expense. A few dollars per roll, a daily task... and that's it. But behind this visible cost lies a much heavier reality for your business.
The visible cost : the purchase price
- 7 rolls of plastic film = 200g of plastic per pallet
- 200 pallets per week = 3 tons of plastic per year
- At 1€ to 3€ per pallet, that already amounts to thousands of euros each year
And yet, that's just the tip of the iceberg.
1. The cost of waste treatmen
Each ton of plastic must be collected, sorted, and incinerated.
- Collection costs : up to several thousand dollars per ton
- Environmental impact : 1 ton of plastic = 6 tons of CO₂ during manufacturing + an additional 3 tons during incineration.
What is not recycled becomes a pure cost for your company.
2. The hidden operational cost
Wrapping and unwrapping are not free :
- Labor time spent wrapping and removing plastic
- Additional handling, especially in the case of unstable pallets
- Risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) related to repetitive movements.
As a result, some companies spend more than $50, 000 per year on operational costs related to plastic film alone.
3. The human and social cost
It is often overlooked, but filming a pallet is a repetitive, unrewarding, and even demotivating task.
This demotivation can lead to up to an 18% loss in productivity across the entire logistics team.
An invisible but real cost.
4. The regulatory cost ahead
With the European PPWR regulation, reuse will become mandatory from 2026.
From 2030 : 100% of internal and inter-company logistics packaging must be reusable (Article 29.2)
Continuing to invest in disposable plastic film therefore means investing in a solution that is already doomed.
A more economical solution : the Loopipak pallet cover
- Reusable over 100 times
- Pays for itself after 35 uses (≈ 7 months)
- Up to 45% reduction in overall cost compared to plastic film
- Measured impact : one cover replaces up to 500 disposable packages
With Loopipak, you eliminate not only the visible costs, but also the hidden costs of disposables.
Conclusion
Plastic film is not a minor expense. It is an economic, operational, and regulatory burden for your business.
By adopting a reusable Loopipak pallet cover, you can reduce your overall costs while anticipating legal obligations and empowering your teams.
The hidden costs of plastic film that your budget doesn't show