Dora is a light, durable, hygienic and sustainable alternative to wooden pallets with RPC compatibility

IFCO Dora

IFCO has launched a reusable plastic pallet that it claims has the potential to revolutionise the fresh grocery supply chain across Europe. Dora is a strong, stable and sustainable alternative to wooden pallets, suitable for manual and fully-automated processes.

Dora is purpose-designed for RPC compatibility and available through IFCO’s circular model pooling system. According to IFCO, the pallet fits seamlessly into existing fresh grocery supply chain operations, which secures long-term higher logistics efficiency and sustainability gains for suppliers and retailers alike.

“The IFCO plastic pallet increases efficiency and safety in critical areas across transportation and handling. As Dora is over 25 per cent lighter than conventional wood pallets, transportation costs are significantly reduced,” the company said.

CEO Michael Pooley commented: “As Dora is fully integrated into our pooling system, our customers benefit from our comprehensive services and highly consistent pallet quality and dimensions. They therefore avoid the time-consuming issues typically associated with conventional pallet exchange systems”.

Made from 100 per cent high-quality HDPE, Dora is designed to be robust and durable as well as moisture-resistant and washable, which IFCO claims makes it a more sustainable and hygienic choice for transporting fresh products.

The Dora Plastic Pallet has a smooth, rounded surface and edges. Consequently, there is no danger of splinters, nails or other defects endangering workers or damaging fresh products. In contrast to wood pallets, which have an average damage rate of 25 per cent, the rate for the IFCO Plastic Pallet is less than 1 per cent. And any damaged or broken IFCO Plastic Pallets are fully recycled within the IFCO pooling system. Dora can also be reused up to 10 times more than conventional wood pallets.

Inigo Canalejo, vice president ESG and strategic marketing at IFCO, said: “By bringing our circular business model to the world of pallets, we are modernising a long-neglected part of the fresh grocery supply chain.

“We’re proud to be disrupting the status quo. It’s high time for a superior, sustainable and cost-competitive solution. Our Dora plastic pallet is built to last.”