In the Netherlands, CocoPallet is working to prevent deforestation by substituting coconut waste for wood in shipping pallets—a seldom thought of but rather ubiquitous shipping industry staple.
Founder Michiel Vos tells Science Times that Asia produces millions of pallets a year with wood imported from New Zealand, Canada and Europe because shipping pallets require softwood typically not found in rainforests. Coconut husks, by comparison, are readily available in Asia—75 billion coconuts are harvested annually, and the husks are often thrown away or left to rot. Also, pallets made from coconut waste are lighter, stronger, and resistant to fire and termites, he adds.
So far CocoPallet has saved 200 million trees, and its pallets are being used in Indonesia, Sumatra, and the Philippines.