Recycled pallet wrap film was, until recently, something of a contradiction in terms. Stretch wrapped LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) pallet packaging, despite being available since the 1950s and 1960s, wasn’t easy to recycle and, although it was exceptionally useful for a wide range of businesses, created a sore point in any discussion around sustainability. However, in 2025, there are strong signs that recycled pallet wrap could be the future of logistics packaging, phasing out less sustainable solutions in the near future.
The idea behind recycled pallet wrap is straightforward. By making use of recycled materials, the demand for virgin plastic production is reduced, and it helps divert plastic film wraps away from landfills. However, for a product to be economically and operationally viable, a recycled film must be engineered to maintain strength, elasticity, and puncture resistance as well as nonrecyclable equivalents.
There are now several durable pallet stretch films available in the UK made from 30% to 100% recycled plastics, with excellent stretch and strength characteristics. Here are the main benefits of switching from your current product:
1. Reduce Your Environmental Impact
Migrating to biodegradable pallet wrap or recycled film wrap helps businesses to reduce waste and support sustainable practices, aligning with broader environmental goals without sacrificing performance. Your own business's carbon footprint is improved, and there are also wider benefits across the supply chain. Importantly, many recycled pallet wraps are also easier to dispose of and recycle at the end of life, preventing environmental damage and accumulation in landfills at the end of the value chain. This reduces the lifetime environmental cost of recycled packaging and conserves the resources needed to create new materials.
2. Reliable Performance
Some modern recycled pallet wraps perform at the same level as non-recycled alternatives, providing strong puncture resistance and great load stability for secure and cost-effective transportation.
3. Cost-effective Choice
For sustainability to work long term for businesses, it has to make financial sense as well as environmental sense. Unfortunately, until recently, many recycled materials fell short in this regard, being weaker or more costly than petrochemical products. This has now changed, and as recycled materials become more widespread, their cost decreases, making them a viable and economical alternative to many traditional pallet wraps.
4. Improve Your Brand Image
Adopting recycled pallet wrap can strengthen your company’s sustainability profile to your customers, supply partners, and regulatory authorities, reducing your own operational carbon footprint and providing an example to other stakeholders in your industry of what could be achieved by embracing more eco-conscious procurement decisions.
What Next?
With a range of stretch-wrapped pallets and biodegradable pallet wrap products available to suit your applications, sourcing your packaging through Cliffe Packaging can help improve both operational efficiency and sustainability at your business. For more information about the perfect solution for your needs or to request a quote, please contact one of our experienced team by clicking here.
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