10 years of quality partnership between EPAL and Bureau Veritas


10 years of quality partnership between EPAL and Bureau Veritas

The European Pallet Association e.V. (EPAL) and Bureau Veritas celebrate the 10th anniversary of their cooperation. Since 2013, Bureau Veritas has been in charge of quality assurance of EPAL pallets and has performed more than 250,000 inspections during this time. Due to the success of the cooperation, EPAL and Bureau Veritas have agreed to continue the joint quality assurance of the EPAL open pallet pool for the coming years.

The high quality of EPAL pallets is the basis for simple and safe logistics processes and thus for the great acceptance of EPAL pallets in all areas of industry, trade and logistics. The reason for the internationally uniform quality of EPAL pallets is the constant and independent quality assurance, which is one of the core tasks of EPAL, in addition to the organization of the exchange pool. Quality assurance is carried out by Bureau Veritas, one of the world's leading companies in the field of testing, inspection and certification (www.bureauveritas.com).

The quality partnership between EPAL and Bureau Veritas has been in place since January 2013, and a review of this time impressively shows the importance of Bureau Veritas' quality assurance for EPAL's success. From 2013 to 2022, EPAL Europallet production has grown from 65 million EPAL Europallets to more than 100 million EPAL Europallets per year. This was only possible because the quality of EPAL Europallets is the recognized benchmark in pallet logistics, thanks to Bureau Veritas quality assurance.

Dirk Hoferer, President of EPAL:
"On the 10th anniversary of the cooperation between EPAL and Bureau Veritas, we would like to thank Bureau Veritas and all inspectors and staff for their great support in making EPAL the market leader in open pallet exchange. The daily commitment of Bureau Veritas staff in Europe and many other countries around the world ensures the quality of EPAL pallets and thus the international use and exchange of EPAL pallets."

Each year, more than 25,000 inspections are performed by Bureau Veritas inspectors. That's more than 100 inspections every working day and more than 250,000 inspections in the ten years of EPAL and Bureau Veritas' partnership. This is only possible because Bureau Veritas has its own offices and staff in all countries around the world where EPAL pallets are produced and repaired. Proximity to the customer and short distances – this corresponds perfectly to the principle of the open EPAL pallet pool.

Daniel Jarzabkowski, Business Unit Director of Bureau Veritas Industry Services:
„Bureau Veritas has more than 82,000 employees in 140 countries. Our goal is to ensure compliance with standards for products and processes so that the products meet all applicable requirements for quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility. EPAL pallets embody these goals in the best possible way. We are pleased that we have been able to be part of the open EPAL pallet pool for 10 years."

EPAL pallets are a special example of the importance of comprehensive quality assurance to achieve sustainability goals. Internationally uniform quality and standardization are the prerequisites for exchanging EPAL pallets. Both are guaranteed by Bureau Veritas quality assurance, which enables the long service life of EPAL pallets and the associated protection of the environment and resources. Thanks to the cooperation between EPAL and Bureau Veritas, EPAL pallets therefore meet all the requirements for sustainability in logistics of industry and trade.

On the occasion of the anniversary, EPAL and Bureau Veritas have agreed to continue their cooperation for the coming years. This guarantees the quality and success of the open EPAL pallet pool in the future.