CKF’s Earthcycle packaging competes for Innovation Award
Packaging company CKF, Hansport, Nova Scotia, is one of 10 nominees for the Fruit Logistica Innovation Award for a new design of Earthcycle compostable and recyclable packaging for strawberries.
A panel of judges will choose the award winner during the event, Feb. 6-7 in Berlin.
The strawberry punnet was used by Fresh Berry Co., a Melbourne, Australia, grower-shipper. The Earthcycle punnets with top seals has 98% less plastic than comparative punnets and can improve shelf life by two days, according to a news release.
“The combination of the environmental credentials of the package, the superior performance and the consumer’s desire for less plastic positions Earthcycle as a material of the future,” Brad Dennis, CKF’s vice president of sales and marketing, said in the release.
Fresh Berry rebranded its premium strawberry line with the new packaging.
“We chose Earthcycle punnets for our Sustainable Farms brand of strawberries because we want to make a statement about our commitment to reduce plastic waste,” John Pettinella, one of three Fresh Berry Co. owners, said in the release. “The shelf life performance and automation speeds from top seal are added benefits.”
CKF also has Earthcycle punnets for blueberries and raspberries.
CKF will be exhibiting at Fruit Logistica in Berlin. Hall 23 Stand A-06.
The other Innovation Award nominees are:
- Avocado Pitter 300-AVC — CTI Food Tech, Italy, removes up to 300 avocado pits a minute;
- DCM Viscotec Blue — De Ceuster Meststoffen, Belgium, fertilizer for use in organic growing;
- Fred — the pear — VariCom, Switzerland, a premium red-cheeked pear;
- Modula — Roter Italia, Italy, an electronic sowing machine;
- Oriental Red — Red Kiwifruit, Jingold, Italy;
- PerfoTec02Control — PerfoTec, Netherlands, CO2 protective gas system for packaging;
- Redlander — Bejo, Netherlands, downy mildew-resistant, red hybrid onion
- Slide Valeriana Eco — Hortech, Italy, electrically operated harvesting machine for lamb’s lettuce; and
- Softripe — Ripening technology, Frigotec, Germany, automatic ripening technology for bananas and other tropical fruit.
