Your expert in pallets and reverse logistics

From the old pallet industry to smart reverse logistics

The idea behind Smart Retur was realised back in 2012 when we changed our name from Waba and changed our strategy. When the plastic pallet first enabled a closed-loop supply chain, we saw an opportunity no one else did: developing a similar system for wooden pallets would substantially cut both costs and emissions – while also making it possible for us to be much more efficient.

Today, we sort wooden pallets, repair them as needed, and thereby achieve a reuse level of up to 98 per cent.

We invested heavily in technology and digitalisation, and introduced Smart Retur’s own digital pallet bank – so that you, as the customer, can easily get what you need when you need it, with full control and flexibility.

With a transparent business model, a genuine desire to push the world in the right direction, and products and services that really deliver, we were able to see that Smart Retur was going to be a market leader. We are now the biggest in the Nordic region.

Smart Retur’s journey over the last decade has seen our annual revenues increase from NOK 200 million to NOK 1.100 million. Even so, the biggest potential is still ahead of us, and we are ready to take the next step.

Going forward, we have two goals: first, to consolidate the market, and second, to propel the plastic pallet to the same level of success in Denmark and Finland as we have given it in Norway and Sweden. That, in turn, will lead to even greater reductions in emissions, resource use and costs, and we will take another step in the direction of a slightly better world. There are still unexplored methods and untested technologies that we will utilise in the future.

We have already come a long way in the ten years since we changed gear, and with our hand on our heart we can say that Smart Retur contributes to a better world – with further professionalisation of reverse logistics, stricter environmental requirements, and importantly with our ability to meet industry’s increasingly strict requirements for efficient resource use.

Our digital pallet bank allows you to manage your reverse logistics. You can think of it as your control centre, where you manage orders, monitor status and obtain documentation.

The pallet bank is Smart Retur’s heart and brain: buy pallets when you need more; sell pallets to us when you have too many. Book shipments and returns, book storage space and monitor your stock levels. You can also monitor your sorting results, repairs, pallet reuse level and emissions reductions.