CKF Inc., a global leader in the design and North American production 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.

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 per cent 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. 

“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.” 

 CKF displayed its EC 652 along with its entire line up of Earthcycle packaging for produce at the CPMA show in Toronto. 

Source:  CKF April 25 , 2023 news release