But no matter which product it is, one thing is certain: the packaging plays a key role in consumers’ purchasing decisions. Above all, it needs to perfectly match consumers’ lifestyles – which are increasingly flexible and environmentally conscious. At this year’s FachPack in Nuremberg, Sonoco Europe will demonstrate that excellent branding, high convenience and sustainability can very well go hand in hand.

At booth 5-319, hall 5, visitors will be able to see for themselves how it’s done: from all-around-decorated cardboard cans to individually shaped IML containers – Sonoco Europe offers individual packaging designed for individuals.

Cardboard ends for increased recyclability

Sonoco’s giveaway, which was specially manufactured for the FachPack, is a small snack can filled with freeze-dried fruit. It showcases how modern packaging solutions combine high sustainability with appealing design elements and convenience by featuring both a cardboard end and a digitally printed label. Digital printing offers an alternative to larger scale flexographic or gravure printing: since it doesn’t require the manufacturing of print cylinders or sleeves, it represents a flexible and cost-efficient way to quickly print smaller, yet high-quality batches of labels, which are ideal e.g. for seasonal or promotional products.

“It’s a great example of how you can further improve an already very sustainable packaging by changing or adding additional features like a paper bottom”, Cairns explains. “At Sonoco we prefer to see sustainability as a multifaceted concept rather than focusing on only one single aspect, such as recyclability. Of course, recyclability is an important component – but certainly not the only one that determines the sustainability of packaging.” An in-depth Piqet (Packaging Impact Quick Evaluation Tool) analysis, which is displayed at the Sonoco booth, will therefore invite visitors to discuss and also compare different packaging solutions with regard to six different evaluation criteria, including CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and recyclability. With the help of Piqet spider graphs, developers can compare e.g. Sonoco’s cardboard cans with alternative packaging solutions, identify advantages, and discuss how to further improve sustainability.

“For instance, if you’re searching for a packaging for a less delicate product like sweets or cereal, you can choose a non-aluminium lining and a cardboard bottom for your cardboard can”, said Cairns. The cardboard bottom is manufactured in the new DRECE (Deep Recessed Exposed Cut Edge) design. DRECE ends as well as Sonoco’s EcoSeal end are currently being tested by several Sonoco customers who are considering replacing their standard tin ends with cardboard.” For sensible products such as coffee or infant formula, Sonoco offers alternative solutions to aluminium linings such SiOx (silicone oxide) barriers. “We are working around the clock on sustainable options and testing new materials”, explains Cairns, “I am also proud to say that our In-Mould-Labelling (IML) solutions currently already achieve recyclability rates of up to 98 percent.”

Design and convenience are what win over consumers

The design of Sonoco’s FachPack booth is intended to highlight packaging solutions like the giveaway snack can. Consisting of a kitchen, a living room and a supermarket, it displays Sonoco’s cardboard and IML solutions in the settings where they win over consumers with their outstanding design and convenience features. IML solutions for yoghurt products, for example, provide visitors with a clear view of their contents, and can be found in the kitchen area. Snack cans demonstrate their reclosability and are waiting on the living room coffee table. Another type of innovative product on display: cardboard cans for spices and spice mixtures from the start-up justspices, which will feature prominently in the supermarket area of the booth. Other brands showcased include mymuesli, Emmi and Rügenwalder.

About Sonoco Europe

At roughly 70 operations across Europe, Sonoco provides customers with a wide range of consumer and industrial packaging solutions. Consumer goods packaging solutions include cardboard cans, drums, and luxury tubes (also called rigid paper containers) with a variety of closures; plastic packaging; packaging services; and graphics management. Sonoco’s industrial division produces a portfolio of cores, tubes, and spools made from highly engineered paperboard or plastic for use with paper, textiles and specialty films. The Sonoco Thermosafe unit offers customers temperature assurance packaging solutions for the transport of temperature-sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals and other biologics. Utilizing a range of packaging materials, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Hartsville, South Carolina-based Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of $4.8 billion, the Company has 20,000 employees working in more than 300 operations in 33 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit sonoco.com.