Sustainable Canadian packs steal the show down under
Canadian Packaging
Sustainability Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) CKF Earthcycle Fresh Berry Proseal Autralia Pty Ltd.The recyclable and home-compostable punnets have enabled the grower to reduce its use of plastic packaging by 95 per cent
Good packaging ideas have a habit of making their way around the world whatever the distance, as an Australian strawberry producer has recently found out with an award-winning compostable packaging solution developed by Canadian packaging producer CKF, Inc.
Selected as winner of this year’s Award of Excellence of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) in the Customer Collaboration category, the new homecompostable
packages for the Fresh Berry brand of strawberries use CKF’s proprietary EarthCycle brand of thermoformed molded-pulp packaging heat-sealed on high-performance tray-sealing machinery supplied by Proseal Autralia Pty Ltd.
Intended as a replacement for traditional plastic clamshells often used to package fresh berries, the recyclable and home-compostable EarthCycle punnets have enabled the grower to reduce its use of plastic packaging for this product by 95 per cent, while providing various line efficiencies and better product shelf-life.
“It was Proseal Australia who introduced us to the top-seal concept, and throughout our dealings with them we have found them highly professional and flexible,” says Jenny Briggs of Fresh Berry.
“They provide incredible backup support with training and servicing to ensure their equipment is always working effectively and efficiently.”
According to Proseal, the top-seal packs also offer a number of performance benefits over clamshells, including extending the shelf-life of products, reducing overpacking, eliminating spillage, providing effective tamper-evidence, and reducing storage andtransportation costs.
The combination of these many benefits can deliver a ROI (return-on-investment) of less than two years, according to Proseal.
As Briggs relates, “We find the application of top seals for our strawberry punnets quick, clean and simple.
“The seal is non-resealable, thereby ensuring tamper-evidence is easily identified,” Briggs states.
“Using top sealing-film has significantly reduced our plastic usage and storage requirements compared with conventional clam-shell packaging.”
Another advantage of the punnets developed by CFK and Proseal is that they mirror the common footprint of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic punnets—meaning there is no need for companies to invest in additional tooling.
“This allows them to make a smooth transition to compostable packs without any downtime,” says Proseal Australia’s general manager Scott Templeton, adding that the highly flexible Proseal tray-sealer is a
highly flexible system that can handle different pack sizes with fast changeovers using quick interchangeable tooling and easy-to-change pre-printed films.
“Proseal has always been at the forefront of innovation in tray-sealing developments, Templeton states.
“Equally important to us are the close and long-term working partnerships that we seek to establish with both our customers and suppliers,” he adds.
“This award ideally encapsulates both these elements, and I thank Fresh Berry and CFK for their hard work and commitment in ensuring the success of such a ground-breaking project.”
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