An examination of 12,084 Intelligent Global Pooling Systems (iGPS) pallets collected by NWPCA members at locations across the U.S. and awaiting pick-up revealed that 9.7% of those plastic pallets do not carry the Underwriter Laboratory's (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM) marks. This raises a question as to whether these 1,173 unmarked plastic pallets contain the fire retardant deca-bromine and accordingly whether they represent a fire hazard.

The pallets were inspected in response to differing opinions by a task group of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) over whether or not all of the pallets used by iGPS contain the fire retardant deca-bromine.

While fire codes are a state issue and therefore regulations are somewhat varied, it is generally recommended that warehouses storing plastic pallets require either a two-commodity class sprinkler protection enhancement or that plastic pallets be stored outside away from buildings. This is true whether there is one pallet or a thousand.

The UL-marked iGPS plastic pallets contain 3.4 pounds of deca-bromine fire retardant according to the company's own life cycle analysis. iGPS already had at least a million pallets in their pool prior to submitting any pallets to UL or FM fire tests. It appears from the survey conducted by NWPCA members that a significant quantity of these pallets remains in the supply chain.

In a February 2008 magazine interview, iGPS' Chief Executive Officer Bob Moore claimed "Our pallet was fire retardant from day one." Yet even though the iGPS pallet was launched in 2006, NWPCA has been unable to locate any mention of the inclusion of fire retardant chemicals in the pallets by either iGPS or Schoeller Arca Systems, the manufacturer of the pallets, in press releases or promotional materials prior to 2008.

"Wood pallets are the benchmark for fire safety," said Bruce Scholnick, president and CEO of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association (NWPCA). "It seems suspicious that a company as shrewd about marketing opportunities as iGPS is, would omit mentioning that the chemical compounds in their pallets help them reach that benchmark level. They likewise failed to point out the flammability difference between their pallets and the high fuel-load plastic pallets with which they are competing. Why would they remain silent on this fact when the high-cost of sprinkler upgrade requirements for plastic pallet use is such a clear barrier to gaining market acceptance?"

The NASFM task group is preparing an education module for state fire marshals and code officials around the country.

"I think it is important for those of us serving on the task group to have assurance that the unlisted or unapproved plastic pallets are not the same fire hazard that most other plastic pallets represent," said Scholnick. "Warehouse fire safety cannot rely on the unsupported claims of a company with financial interests."

"To resolve this safety concern we would ask that iGPS allow NWPCA to request research respondents to send a random sample of the surveyed uncertified pallets to UL so iGPS can authorize the laboratory to conduct a burn analysis. This would put the matter to rest and allow the NASFM working group to include this information in the education module for consideration by fire safety professionals throughout the U.S."

For more information contact: Bruce Scholnick, President & CEO

National Wooden Pallet and Container Association

1421 Prince St., #340

Alexandria, VA 22314-2805

Tel: 703-519-6104

Fax: 703-519-4720

Email: bscholnick@palletcentral.com

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