CKF Inc., designer and North America manufacturer of sustainable packaging solutions, is partnering with Belmark inc., to support a Canadian retail trial with blueberries supplied by The Fruitist, a joint venture between Agrovision Corp. and Berries Paradise.
Blueberry punnet
The new Earthcycle branded EC 652 is an 18 oz top seal blueberry punnet designed to easily slip into automated packing lines with existing top seal tooling. The goal of the trial is multi-faceted- including perfecting the runnability of the Earthcycle punnet in automated production lines, establishing the optimal specifications for the film/fibre bond, proving the extension of shelf life and most importantly, ensuring that the consumer responds to a package that is 80 percent less plastic.
While still early days of the trial, the initial pack outs have met targets for throughput and shelf performance. Consumer engagement with the packaging has exceeded expectations. “The consumer can still see a majority of the berries due to the intentional design of the package, which has always been a concern for retail in switching from plastic to an Earthcycle container,” says Shannon Boase, Senior Director of New Market Development for CKF, Inc.
“The environmental call outs of the packaging on the top seal film supplied by Belmark, along with the established quality of berries from The Fruitist and the intuitively-earth friendly Earthcycle material, has made for a winning combination at retail and the consumer is responding positively,” she adds.
Functional product
“It is more than just reducing plastic”, says Scott Albertson, EVP Sales and Marketing of The Fruitist. “Having a functional product that works through the supply chain, all the way home to the customer’s fridge is equally important for any new sustainable packaging solution and a key reason we are excited to test drive this new packaging initiative.”
“We are thrilled to be part of this project,” says Jason Vande Loo, Director of Business Development for Belmark inc. “As consumer attention toward environmentally positive packaging and global regulatory pressures rise, brands and retailers need packaging vendors to bring forth innovative alternatives for the marketplace. This specially designed top seal film is universally compatible with both moulded pulp and recycled PET trays while elevating the brand billboard space with impactful printed graphics. We are very impressed with the strong seal achieved on the Earthcycle trays.”
EC652, 18 oz. top seal blueberry punnet.
CKF will be displaying the EC 652 along with its entire line up of Earthcycle packaging for produce at this week’s CPMA show in Toronto at booth 1929.
Contact:
Shannon Boase
CKF, Inc.
Tel: (+1) 604-377-8965
sboase@ckfinc.com
www.ckfinc.com