As the European Pallet Association (EPAL) announced, several truckloads of counterfeit EPAL Euro-pallets were secured in Belgium in late May. The successful action took place in close cooperation with the independent inspection body Bureau Veritas.
„Currently we have a large number of cases, especially in the Netherlands and Belgium, whereby counterfeit pallets have been found. We therefore think a reminder to refrain from ordering pallets with the EPAL branded marking from dubious sources, is worthwhile,“ explained lawyer Bernd Dörre, speaking for EPAL.
In April, EPAL employees in Ukraine working together with the Bureau Veritas were able to identify a local producer of illegal EPAL europallets. In a joint operation with local police and lawyers, large quantities of fake pallets as well as fake brand stamps were confiscated. The counterfeiter faces prosecution for commercial violation of brand rights.
At the same time, EPAL informed Ukrainian manufacturers about the advantages of producing and repairing EPAL-licensed europallets. Shipping companies were also made aware of the disadvantages of counterfeits: If goods are imported into the EU with counterfeit pallets, they may be held by customs authorities and might have to be reloaded onto original pallets at a high price. Also, the frequently inferior quality of the pallets can contain considerable risks, as confirmed by the current case in Ukraine: „Investigation of the counterfeit pallets has revealed that the overwhelming majority are produced from low grade materials and undersized boards,“ said Martin Leibrandt, CEO of EPAL.
Users can recognize EPAL europallets by their EPAL logos on all four corner blocks. New pallets also have either a yellow or black control staple embossed with the ‘EPAL in oval’ marking on one of the middle blocks. Late last year, EPAL already achieved a notable success as pallet counterfeiters were detected importing pallets into the EU (cf. our German-language report).
