CANADA - Getting by with a little help from your friends is fairly typical for the fresh produce industry. We pride ourselves on partnerships big or small, although the partnership between IFCO and AMCO isn't a particularly small fish. As the fight for sustainability continues, AMCO's Mitchell Amicone detailed how IFCO helped the Canadian, family-run business bring his vision of sustainable tomato farming to life.

According to a blog post, Amicone, Chief Operating Officer of AMCO, explained that IFCO has provided the business with crucial support during the company's ongoing expansion.

"We're committed to increasing our fall and winter food supply program, initially implemented since 2015, to build upon its mission to deliver Canadian produce to customers all year round," explained Amicone. "IFCO is playing an integral role in reaching our sustainability, efficiency, and food safety goals along the way."

Alongside reducing food miles, energy consumption, and all kinds of waste, AMCO sees IFCO as a true partner on its road to sustainability.

"That the IFCO RPCs are easier to handle is worth a lot to the company. With IFCO RPCs you can deliver them right to the greenhouse where and when they are needed. You pop them open and into shape and off you go," he said. "They are so much safer and more efficient in use. You're not dependent on these intricate box machines anymore. Ideally, my plan would be to switch all of our cardboard boxes right now to IFCO RPCs. I'd be happy to get rid of my box machines. It's not a sustainable way to package produce."

Amicone also noted another value of IFCO RPCs: higher product protection during transportation. Pallets can shift during transportation, and when they arrive at their destination, retailers are under such time constraints that they aren't in a position to restack them, meaning that whole truckloads might get rejected in favor of a new delivery.

"If the cardboard is not kept at an optimal temperature or not used within a certain time frame, they can become too humid or dry, causing complications with carton making," Amicone added. "And, unlike cardboard, IFCO RPCs don't need to be temperature controlled to hold their integrity. This is a huge benefit as it cuts down on inventory and warehousing costs."

To read more about IFCO's role in this company's sustainable journey, click here.

Stick around as we cover more partnerships like this!

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