The European Pallet Association (EPAL) will celebrate the 35th anniversary of its cooperative pallet pooling system with an international conference on June 19, 2026, in Munich, Germany, the city where the organization was founded in 1991.
More than 300 guests from industry, trade, logistics, science, and government are expected to attend the event, which will examine key trends shaping the future of pallet logistics and supply chains.
According to EPAL, the conference program will address a range of topics affecting the pallet and wood packaging sector, including timber market developments, European regulatory issues, digitalization, automation, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the circular economy. Speakers from business, academia, and logistics are expected to share insights into emerging challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
Dirk Hoferer, President of EPAL, emphasized the significance of the gathering for the pallet sector.
“The anniversary conference is the central event of the wooden pallet industry in 2026. It brings together the decision-makers and partners of the wood packaging industry to discuss current challenges and future developments in global pallet logistics. The anniversary conference is the ideal platform to develop new ideas for the future of the open EPAL pallet pool with a view to EPAL’s past.”
Networking is also expected to be a major component of the event, bringing together manufacturers, repairers, users of EPAL pallets, and other industry partners from around the world.
The Importance of Collaboration for Pallet Pooling Success
Jarek Maciążek, President of EPAL, highlighted the role of industry collaboration in the organization’s growth.
“EPAL’s success over the last 35 years is also the result of the large international network of manufacturers and users of EPAL pallets. In addition to the diverse lecture program, the conference therefore also offers numerous opportunities for networking. Representatives of manufacturers and repairers of EPAL pallets will meet users of EPAL pallets and numerous industrial partners of EPAL. Guests from all over the world will be able to exchange experiences and jointly develop perspectives for the further development of sustainable logistics solutions.”
The anniversary marks an important milestone for EPAL, which has grown from a European standardization and quality assurance initiative into the operator of what it describes as the world’s largest open pallet pool. Today, more than 670 million EPAL Euro pallets and more than 20 million EPAL box pallets are in circulation worldwide.
Munich holds particular significance for the organization as the birthplace of EPAL. Over the past three and a half decades, the association has played a central role in promoting standardized pallet specifications, quality control, and interoperability across international supply chains.
Additional information about the anniversary conference, including the full program, is available through EPAL.
Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
