How much do reusable pallet wraps cost? 

Considerations

Anywhere between £20 and £120 and here’s why. Bespoke products manufactured in the UK will always appear initially to be more expensive than an imported product from India or China, but in reality, due to recent changes in the markets, that is no longer the case. Besides the actual price tag, there’s major advantages in buying from the UK because every application is different so to get the perfect product to fit your exact shape and size imported is nigh on impossible.

Considerations to take into account when looking to reduce your carbon footprint and your plastic waste by using a reusable pallet wrap or cover instead of single use plastic pallet wrap include the size, shape and weight of the pallet or roll cage trolley, the frequency of its use, how far they will need to travel and your return-on-investment requirements. Also, will you be needing any branding on the reusable pallet covers and any colour preferences? When it comes to pricing your bespoke reusable pallet covers or wraps, we start with a base product which will cost anywhere between £20 and £60 depending on the size and quantity required, we’ll then ascertain whether this will be used internally or externally and decide how many straps will be needed to attach the wrap to the pallet, and to close the wrap around the load. This will depend on the weight, height and shape of the load and increasing the number of straps can add anything from £10 and upwards to the base price. There’s other considerations to take into account including extra webbing along the base of the wrap to decrease wear and tear if it’s going to be used on long journeys which could add around £5-10, document windows to hold paperwork and to keep it dry, heavier duty buckles if the load is particularly heavy and even a lid which can be used to cover over the top of the pallet and attach to the pallet cover. All these extra items will add further cost but can still be well within the return on investment figure in comparison to the issues with single use plastic. Quantity also makes a significant difference in the cost per item, once the initial design specification is finalised, this will be set up on a computerised cutting table and each PalBand will be cut exactly the same, and this is where savings can be made as the material can be nested so there is minimal waste, and the more that can be produced in a production run the better cost wise. The straps and buckles and any other parts will then be assembled as per your specific design, then branded if required. The difference in piece cost can vary considerably from a one-off sample at approx. £120 to the same item being produced in bulk at around £75. These prices will obviously vary when your specific design is considered.

What is the ROI time for reusable pallet wraps?

The return on investment is an important part of the change from using single use plastic to using a reusable pallet or trolley cover, and this depends largely on the frequency of use and the amount of time it will take to return the PalBands back to your despatch area. It also depends very much on how well the pallet wraps are looked after, as any damage done during transit or when packing or unpacking the pallets will result in a reduction of the usage of the product. Also, storage of the product correctly is important, and we would suggest using a pallet box or similar to make sure they are all kept in one place and free from damage by machinery or other means.

As an example of the ROI of a correctly used and stored PalBand, with an average cost of £60 and if the PalBand is returned each day to be reused the next day and this is compared to pallet wrapping the pallets with single use plastic pallet wrap, then this is the calculation below.

Cost of PalBand - £60
Cost to wrap an equivalent sized pallet with pallet wrap - £0.70

If the PalBand is used every day, then this will pay for itself compared to pallet wrap within 85 days, or just over 16 working weeks. Considering the PalBands are designed to last for up to 3 years under normal conditions, this means you will save £465 of pallet wrap for one pallet over that time. If you had 200 pallets using PalBands over 3 years, this would save £93,100 of pallet wrap costs. But just as importantly, the cost to the environment is also particularly notable, as this would save an incredible 12 tons of waste plastic over 3 years.

Of course, the above calculation can be adjusted to suit your specific application, as there will be situations where the PalBands could be used several times per day in an internal situation where you may have product being moved between buildings or in the other extreme you may have product being shipped to other locations in the UK or abroad, and the return loop may take several days. In every instance, there’s always savings to be made in actual costs and to the environment. Repairs to PalBands are also possible, so if there is damage over time, there’s no reason to throw them away, but small repairs can be made where the fabric may have become snagged or torn. This further enhances the longevity of the reusable pallet wrap.

Will reusable pallet wraps work for me?

So, will PalBand reusable pallet wraps work for me? Firstly, the most critical consideration is whether they can be returned in view of being reused on a regular basis. If this is the case, then there is a strong likelihood that PalBand reusable pallet wraps will work for you. Secondly, you’ll need to review the cost of your single use pallet wrap to ascertain the total spend per year you make on all types of pallet wrap, and in what application it is used. This could be wrapping pallets which are being transported within your building, or within a network of distribution centres. Is it only pallets that are wrapped or are there roll cage trolleys too? Are there any security concerns with transporting valuable items? Or is pallet wrap being used to wrap trolleys which are being used as rubbish collectors? We’ve found our customers have a wide variety of trolley and pallet shapes and sizes which require some way of wrapping them to remove the use of the plastic pallet wrap. Thirdly, please get in touch with us and we’ll provide you with some initial ideas and costs of whats possible, then provide samples for you to trial, then help you to implement the new way of working with your reusable pallet wraps.

Lets do all we can to reduce the huge amount of single use plastic out there.

Please get in touch with us and we'll be glad to help you move away from plastic pallet wrap.

Email us today at sales@palband.com