PALLET STRAPPING

What Is Strapping?

Strapping tape is a flat, flexible band made from high-tensile strength material, designed to secure, bundle, or reinforce goods during storage and transportation. It is commonly used to close parcels, bind loose items, and stabilize loads on pallets, ensuring safety and reliability throughout the supply chain.

Common Strap Materials

Polypropylene (PP)
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
Steel
Polyamide 6.6 (PA6.6)
Paper
Composite Materials

Choosing the Right Strap:

✔ Strength
✔ Elasticity
✔ Environmental resistance
✔ Ease of use
✔ Safety
✔ Cost

Standards Matter:

Always follow approved guidelines (e.g. EN12195) for strapping methods and load limits.

The Challenge: Collection and Recycling

Pallet straps are rarely re-used:

Straps are applied using high-speed automated packaging lines.
They’re cut upon arrival, making them too short for reuse.
Manual reattachment is difficult and impractical.
After use, straps are discarded and mixed with other waste.
Contamination and deformation reduce their suitability for reuse.

A study by the Fraunhofer Institute (Germany) highlights the technical limitations of reuse and supports recycling as the preferred solution.

Recycling and Waste Management Challenges

Still too linear; current waste management systems aren't fully designated for circularity.

B2B Reality:

Mixed (comingled) waste collection is common in distribution centers and retail — leading to landfilling or incineration of valuable materials.

What's Holding Recycling Back?

Straps are thin, tangled, and easily contaminated.
Often mixed with other plastics.
Low economic value discourages recyclers.
Requires specialized equipment for processing.

Improving the System Requires:

Stronger cooperation across the value chain.
Better practices at distribution centers and retail.
Expansion of recycling networks across the EU.
Support from legislators for pragmatic, scalable solutions

Positive Steps Already Taken:

Several partners in Project Alliance Strapping have invested in recycling capacity, either in-house or through mechanical recycling partners.

Looking Ahead:

Municipalities and retail points of sale will need to take on more responsability.

Distribution centers and retail represent low-hanging fruit for improving collection efficiency.

Environmental Impact

Large volumes of strapping waste still end up in landfills or incinerators.
When landfills are near waterways, there's a high risk of marine pollution.

What's The Alternative?

The Bigger Picture

EU policies aim to:

Safeguard natural resources
Boost circularity
Ensure fair competition for European producers and industries

For Policymakers and Industry:

Promote improved B2B collection of separately sorted straps.
Encourage closed-loop collection schemes, ideally linked with PET or PP post-consumer waste.
Support an EU-wide, harmonized, industry-led Extended Producer Responsability (EPR) system for strapping and similar packaging waste.

The Path Forward

Better collection = fewer landfills, less incineration

Closed-loop systems = smarter resource use

EPR schemes = shared responsability, greater accountability

Circular design = waste becomes a resource