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Santanu Sanyal

Kolkata , Aug. 24

IN what may be called a major environment-friendly drive, the Amingaon (Guwahati) inland container depot (ICD) of the Container Corporation of India (Concor) has started handling, for the first time, bamboo pallets (in place of wooden pallets) in the packaging of tea for exports, according to Concor sources.

The first shipment of bamboo pallets was sent to Tetley Tea, UK. It is learnt that in all, 30 containers have been shipped so far through the ICD for Tetley.

The Guwahati-based Technotive Eastern Pvt Ltd, a clearing and forwarding firm, is believed to have taken the initiative in this regard. It has not only introduced the bamboo-layered pallets, which are made of split bamboo compressed in a hot press and glued together with phenol formaldehyde, but has also secured approval from various international agencies like the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and authorities concerned of the European Union (EU).

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, for example, has made it clear that it has no objection to the use of phenol formaldehyde glue in the manufacture of bamboo pallets, but has added that the glue has to be cured prior to its use in the pallets.

On complimenting Technotive for the innovation in finding a new alternative to solid wood pallets, the agency indicates that the material used in the bamboo-layered pallets will meet the requirement for exemption under its wood packaging policy. Which means the pallets may be exempted from treatment and marking, although they may still be subjected to inspection upon entry into Canada.

The EU office in Delhi has confirmed that with bamboo not being considered a wood product, the ISPM 15 requirement for wood packaging material will not be applicable to packaging material produced from bamboo. No other specific phytosanitary requirements are applicable to such material either.

However, inspection agencies can always carry import inspections on any kind of plant product that might be carrier of harmful organisms, the EU office has made it clear.

Towards the end of June this year, CMA-CGM, the French container major, announced that it proposed to invest in eco-containers. The flooring of these containers, it was stated, would be made of bamboos and thus would act as the cushion from freight placed upon them. The shipping line proposed to acquire 400 such containers.

It might be noted that Technotive Eastern also acts as the freight forwarder for CMA-CGM.

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