In the past two years, Cashmere, Wash.-based sliced apple processor Crunch Pak has made a number of gains toward reducing energy costs, waste and more, said Tony Freytag, senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Some highlights:
- New high-speed electric doors and high-efficiency cooling units dramatically reduce electricity use in Crunch Pak’s 65,000 square feet of cold storage space.
- Water conservation measures, including high-efficiency nozzles, reduce water use by more than 2.7 million gallons a year.
- Reconfiguring the way pallets are stacked in trucks reduces Crunch Pak’s carbon footprint for shipping by 35%.
- Using recycled post-consumer corrugate in shipping cartons reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 111 tons a year and water use by more than 1 million gallons a year.
The company recycles 500,000 pounds of apple waste a week through biomass generators, cattle feedlots and compost programs.
About 70% of packaging materials are made from recycled water bottles.
By supporting the country’s largest organic apple growers, Crunch Pak helps reduce the amount of petroleum-based pesticides and fertilizers used.
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