ISPM 15 stands for International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No.15. It is a regulation of wood packaging material in international trade. ISPM 15 is in place to prevent humans, animals and plants from contamination and disease.
Why is ISPM 15 necessary?
Wooden packaging materials such as pallets, crates and boxes are susceptible to carrying insects, fungi, and other contaminants. These could negatively impact the environment in receiving countries. ISPM 15 requires you to treat any wooden packaging used in shipping to eliminate harmful pests. At ITS, we’re using more of our pallets to ship freight overseas, so it’s our responsibility to ensure everything is handled safely.
This standard calls for us to debark, heat treat, and stamp every piece of wood packaging with a mark of compliance. At ITS, we ensure that all our products strictly comply with ISPM 15, and use heat treated timber for manufacturing crates and pallets. At ITS we also Kiln Dry our pallets. This helps to increase the pallets shelf life, reduce the moisture content of the products and make the load lighter.
What is heat treatment?
Heat treatment involves heating the wood to 56°C for a minimum of 30 minutes to eliminate pests and pathogens. The process is chemical-free, making it environmentally friendly. At ITS, we follow all regulations strictly and provide heat treatment for pallets, crates, cases and other timber products.
The benefits of Heat Treated Pallets
Other than simply complying with ISPM 15 regulations, there is a range of benefits for heat treating wooden items. These benefits include:
- Increased durability: Heat treating pallets makes them more durable, reducing the risk of damage during transportation.
- Extended lifespan: Heat treated pallets last longer and you can recycle them after use.
- Cost efficient: Heat treatment removes much of the moisture in the product. This makes it lighter and therefore cheaper to transport.
- Reduced risk of fire: After you treat a wooden product, it is less flammable. This reduces the risk of fire during the transportation process.
How to know if packaging is ISPM 15 approved?
After we heat treat packaging to meet ISPM standards, we stamp it with a mark to show it’s compliant. This ISPM mark includes the IPPC Certification Symbol which is an ear of corn next to the letters ‘IPPC’. It also has the Two-Letter ISO Country Code and the Unique Certification Number. These elements allow the packaging to be traced back to where it came from if necessary. The mark must be clearly visible on the packaging.
Conclusion
Here at ITS we are proud to be fully compliant with ISPM 15. ISPM 15 certified packaging plays a vital role in preventing the spread of pests and diseases through international shipping. We only use heat treated and kiln dried timber for our crates, pallets, and packaging materials. This means we not only meet international standards but also provide our customers with durable, lightweight, and cost-efficient solutions. Find out more about our ISPM 15 packaging here.
Recent Comments