Impact of international phytosanitary standards on wood packaging material end users: Pre-implementation assessment

International standards for phytosanitary measures have been developed to reduce the spread of pests associated with wood packaging materials use in international trade. It has been suggested this may cause an increase in pallet prices and the substitution of solid wood packaging by other materials. Information from exporting companies was collected through a survey and secondary data. Results indicate that over 60 million wood pallets are used in exportation by U.S. companies. While results represent user attitudes prior to the implementation of new standards, respondents to the survey do not appear predisposed to the purchase of substitute materials.