“Zero Waste World is a working collaboration of companies committed to three primary sustainability challenges,” says Laura Nador, president of CHEP North America. “Those areas are eliminating waste, eradicating empty transport miles and cutting out inefficiencies.”

CHEP’s pooled (shared and re-used), carbon-neutral half pallets are said to be the first and only CarbonNeutral-certified pooled platform in North America.

Participating companies in CHEP’s Zero Waste World program will regularly come together virtually and in person to share ideas and examples of how to best address these three areas. In doing so, they will find practical and impactful new ways to collaborate, with the aim of building smarter and more sustainable supply chains.

For instance, California Giant Berry Farms contributed to a Zero Waste World with its commitment to using only CHEP’s pooled pallets. In 17 years of sharing and reusing pallets, California Giant removed 1,221,600 pounds of carbon emissions from the atmosphere and eliminated 1,618,936 pounds of solid waste from landfills.

Frey Farms, Keenes, Ill., participates in CHEP’s pallet storage program to ensure pallet availability and eradicate empty transport miles. Frey Farms stores a total of approximately 50,000 of CHEP’s pooled pallets at three farms in Florida, generating transportation efficiencies that greatly reduces carbon emissions and environmental impact.

“Our goal is to work with as many companies as possible to create a Zero Waste World,” Nador says. “While we’re proud of the work we’ve done so far, this is only the beginning. Overcoming our shared challenges will take concerted effort and collaboration, but I’m confident that together we can make a difference.”