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Strong, sustainable and waterproof cardboard pallet that equals load carrying capacity of wooden pallets

Objective

According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), there are 4 billion wooden pallets in circulation in Europe right now, this means 108 billion kg of dead weight. To transport this weight 100 km, trucks will require 334M litres of fuel that will emit 880M kg of CO2.

MANDRILADORA ALPESA S.L. a company founded in 1991 that manufactures and commercialises mandrels, tubes and rings spiral cardboard, has developed Upalet.

Upalet will be the first commercial cost-effective and recyclable cardboard pallet that is as strong and has the same load capacity as wooden EUR pallets (1500 kg), yet it is 19 mm lower (13%) and 21.5 kg lighter (80%).

Currently, there are several models of cardboard pallets on the market, but none of them offers all the benefits as Upalet has: strength and durability; massive CO2 reductions and fewer trucks on the road (traffic congestion, wear and tear to highways...); 100% recycled (corrugated cardboard and cardboard tubes attached only with green adhesives); suitable for heavy loads (1,500 kg);; waterproof and resistant to wet conditions; do not need special forklift attachment; no need for any thermal or phytosanitary treatment; 25% cheaper that EUR pallets.

The project provides significant returns. By 2023 there will be 20 people employed directly in manufacturing and selling UPALET, with many more employed indirectly, both within the company, their suppliers and the companies that license the technology. Considering total project costs of 2M, by 2023, the project earns a return on investment of over 1000%, an internal rate of return of 66% and a net present value of over 15M€.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017

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Coordinator

MANDRILADORA ALPESA SL
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 50 000,00
Address
CALLE L’ESTACIÓ
46760 TAVERNES DE LA VALLDIGNA
Spain

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Este Comunitat Valenciana Valencia/València
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 71 429,00
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