Hantsport, Nova Scotia-based CKF Inc. has announced investments to substantially increase its thermoformed molded fiber production capacity.
The supplier of sustainable packaging solutions indicated in a news release that the investment is to support the expanding markets for Earthcycle, CKF’s certified home compostable, recyclable and renewable packaging solution for the fresh produce, grocery retail and foodservice sectors. The production capacity expansion, set to be operational by the third quarter of 2022, will be in a newly constructed wing at CKF’s current pulp production facility in Langley, British Columbia.
“It has always been our goal to produce Earthcycle on both coasts of Canada, to take advantage of global shipping lanes and to further support the large U.S. West Coast and South American markets,” Ian Anderson, president of CKF, said in the release. “We are listening to our customer base and watching market trends, so we know that the time is right for our expansion.”
The additional capacity on Canada’s west coast will in turn free up production currently in the company’s east coast facility in Hantsport.
“We are well positioned to support the growth in demand for Earthcycle in European markets due to policies like the UK’s plastic tax and France’s move to ban single-use plastics in the fruit and vegetable markets,” Anderson said in the release.
The Earthcycle line of packaging, from its first launch in 2005, has focused on the fresh fruit and vegetable industries, according to the release.
