Outstanding and sustainable packaging solutions will be at the heart of Sonoco Europe’s booth at this year’s FachPack trade show from 25 to 27 September in Nuremberg, Germany. The design of booth 5-247, hall 5, mimics a life-like environment consisting of a kitchen area and a supermarket corner.

For Sonoco, producing consumer packaging means listening closely to what consumers say, but also understanding what our clients need. The perfect package does not merely protect its content from things like moisture, or handling during distribution; it must also be convenient and stylish – while having as small an ecological footprint as possible.

Séan Cairns Vice President & General Manager, Sonoco Consumer Products.

A ‘Wall of Recyclability’ shows how Sonoco reduces material consumption and ensures high recycling rates for its packaging solutions. One of the product highlights at the trade fair is the brand new Hermetic SquareCan, which offers producers of sensitive goods like nuts or coffee a stand-out, nearly square packaging solution with excellent design opportunities.

“For Sonoco, producing consumer packaging means listening closely to what consumers say, but also understanding what our clients need,” said Séan Cairns, Vice President and General Manager Sonoco Consumer Products. “The perfect package does not merely protect its content from things like moisture, or handling during distribution; it must also be convenient and stylish – while having as small an ecological footprint as possible.” At the FachPack, Sonoco invites visitors to see and feel the advantages of its packaging solutions first-hand, and in the environment where consumers use them most. In the kitchen area, samples of clients’ products range from muesli to mini sausages, and highlight what Sonoco’s packaging is all about: combining optimal product protection with advanced design features. In the supermarket corner, Sonoco demonstrates how elaborate decorations, individual packaging shapes and high-quality materials can be used to catch consumers’ attention.

Introducing the Hermetic SquareCan

The Hermetic SquareCan, which will debut at the FachPack, is a prime example of a packaging solution that combines the best of both worlds: design and functionality. With their unusual rectangular format, Sonoco’s SquareCans stand out at the point of sale. Printable lids produced with in-mould labelling technology (IML), such as a convenient hinge lid, offer additional printing space for brand messaging, or for extra content, such as recipes and health tips. The virtually square shape of the rigid paperboard container also increases the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of logistics processes, as it optimally uses the available space during transport and in storage facilities. Sonoco produces the Hermetic SquareCan in a newly developed process that considerably increases the container’s stability. In addition, a sealed-on aluminium membrane turns the new solution into an air- and gastight vault perfect for sensitive products like coffee, nuts or even baby food products, including powdered infant formula (PIF).

Sustainability as a crucial factor

When it comes to creating new packaging solutions or improving existing ones, Sonoco’s development team always considers the use of recycled materials and possibilities for recycling after use, in addition to features that will keep the product safe and attract consumers. A printable paper-bottom for instance, further enhances the recyclability of the new Hermetic SquareCan. “We put sustainability at the heart of our product development”, explains Andreas Rothschink, Sales Director at Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. “The use of IML technology, for example, enables us to produce mono-material plastic packaging where both the container and the lid are made of polypropylene and thus have a recycling rate of close to 100 percent. At the same time, we produce our rigid paper containers using recycled paperboard as the main material.” At Sonoco’s FachPack booth, the ‘Wall of Recyclability’ will give visitors an overview of the company’s recycling-related efforts.

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.

Hockenheim, Germany, December 13, 2016 – (NYSE: SON). Hygiene is a top priority in the food industry. Accordingly, production plants operated by Sonoco Consumer Products Europe strictly follow the provisions of the British Retail Consortium, the BRC Global Standard. This is one of the world’s leading programs for product safety and quality certifications.

In the first half of the year, Sonoco plants in Germany were recertified in accordance with the BRC Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials. All of the plants immediately achieved the recently introduced AA grade of excellence. The other European plants of Sonoco Consumer Products Europe have also been certified AA. Certification to the BRC Global Standard confirms that Sonoco continues to meet the highest international hygiene standards.

The requirements for safety, quality and hygiene in the food industry have been increasing for years. The fact that consumers have become more aware of them is not just reflected in various ISO standards at national and European levels. The demands on food market suppliers have also increased within the scope of BRC Global Standards. A fifth quality level, the AA grade, was introduced last year with Revision 5 of the Global Standards for Packaging and Packaging Materials. In the past, there were only four grades, from A to D. BRC Global Standards also require certificate holders to provide a more rigorous risk analysis across the supply, production and transport chains. Appropriate preventive measures protect products and consumers. Revision 5 of the BRC Standard places allergens and food defense (i.e. protecting food against intentional contamination) more into the focus of risk analysis. This results in the establishment of preventive measures to protect the consumer.

Standards apply to all company areas

Sonoco’s BRC certification applies to all areas of the company. For example, buildings must meet structural criteria to ensure that ceilings, walls and doors do not pose a risk of product contamination. Employees are also very important for effective hygiene management. “Our hygiene teams ensure that all guidelines are followed. This applies, for example, to cleaning processes and orderliness in production. In addition to this, all employees are comprehensively trained once a year,” explains Gudrun Strauss, Quality and Hygiene Management Representative at Sonoco. To meet the high quality and hygiene demands of its customers, Sonoco works primarily with appropriately certified suppliers.

Highest standards in hygiene, quality and energy efficiency

Sonoco plants are certified to BRC Standards annually. Depending on the country, the audits are handled by different companies including, for example, DQS (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Zertifizierung von Managementsystemen) or Lloyd’s Register. Along with hygiene management, Sonoco strives to meet the highest quality standards. Accordingly, production operations have strictly complied with ISO 9001:2008 quality management standards for more than 20 years (when plants were still operated by Weidenhammer). By 2018, Sonoco will also be certified in compliance with the updated ISO 9001:2015 standard. Furthermore, all German plants have been certified to ISO 50001 since the beginning of 2016. This norm sets standards for energy efficiency and reinforces Sonoco’s commitment to eco-sustainable operations. “We want to complete our Integrated Management System by 2018,” Strauss explains. This will integrate the systems for hygiene, quality and energy management and enable them to be centrally checked. According to Strauss “Not only will this make our internal processes more efficient; it will enable the systems to seamlessly complement each other without overlap.”

About Sonoco Europe

Sonoco’s more than 70 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit sonocoeurope.com.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, 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 approximately $5 billion, the company has 21,000 employees working in more than 330 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2015/2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at sonoco.com.

It’s convenient, catches the eye and provides an even larger decoration area: At the FachPack trade show in Nuremberg Sonoco Consumer Products Europe will unveil its Square-Can, a rigid paper container in a nearly square format. Particularly in combination with another recent innovation from the packaging specialist – plastic lids decorated using in-mould labelling technology (IML) – the new package opens up a whole new range of design possibilities. In hall 5, at booth 345, the company with European headquarters in Hockenheim, Germany will display its current portfolio of rigid paper containers and plastic packaging solutions. The co-exhibitors Sonoco Alcore and Sonoco Plastics round out the company’s booth.

Cylindrical rigid paper containers are a convenience-packaging classic. For many products like stacked chips or instant drinks, they are a vital part of brand identity. The new SquareCan is Sonoco’s first rigid paper container with a nearly square layout. It measures 104 to 94 millimetres and adds an attractive variant to the packaging specialist’s portfolio. “The SquareCan is a major new product development. It opens up entirely new possibilities in terms of packaging design and brand management for our customers,” says Rolf Regelmann, Director Sales and Marketing at Sonoco, summarizing the advantages of the new layout. “The rigid paper container with a nearly square layout can be decorated all around – including the top and bottom. This strengthens brand management and simultaneously attracts a great deal of consumer attention.” The SquareCan allows Sonoco customers to reach additional consumer groups and market segments while taking advantage of the customary advantages of the rigid paper container. The SquareCan also provides significant efficiency benefits in terms of logistics; thanks to its rectangular basic shape, the package makes optimal use of the available space. Compared to competitive products, the SquareCan is significantly more stable and provides more product protection.

Alongside the newly developed SquareCan, Sonoco will also showcase its entire range of rigid paper containers at the FachPack. This includes numerous improvements and innovations, such as Vegetop, a special shaker top made of organic, compostable plastic that makes the rigid paper container even more sustainable. Another focus of the exhibition is on different design options for rigid paper containers, such as special finishing techniques. The Munich-based cocoa manufacturer beckscocoa, for example, uses a label with hot gold foil embossing to reflect the high quality of the package’s content.

Eye-catcher on top: IML lids provide additional decoration area

Sonoco also delivers a new closure solution for rigid paper containers: The new plastic lids decorated with IML technology feature outstanding tactile and visual effects; even highly realistic photographic images are possible. The lids provide an additional decoration area for round or rectangular rigid paper containers, adding another opportunity to put the packaging classic in the limelight and make it stand out from the competition. “The new product developments SquareCan and IML lids are sound proof of Sonoco’s ability to innovate and demonstrate that our know-how in rigid paper containers and plastic packaging complement each other perfectly,” explains Séan Cairns, Vice President and General Manager, Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. “With our expertise in both areas we are excellently positioned in the premium packaging market.”

Convincing benefits for the tobacco industry

The combination of SquareCan and IML lid provides a particular advantage for packaging tobacco products. The revision of the European Tobacco Product Directive (TPD 2) makes warning labels on lids obligatory for cylindrical rigid paper containers, but not for those with a rectangular format. Because manufacturers have to put large warning labels on the sides of the rigid paper container, the lid becomes the central decorating area for the presentation of the brand. With IML technology manufacturers can capitalize on this.

Highly decorative plastic packaging for premium-quality and delicate products

Several Sonoco customers in the plastic packaging segment are already capitalising on the advantages of in-mould labelling. In the IML process the label is usually made of the same material as the packaging container and injected directly into the packaging wall during production. As a result, the label cannot slip or slide and makes a high-quality impression. The packaging’s base shape is completely user-definable – an ideal prerequisite for tailor-made product and brand presentation.

For plastic packaging Sonoco relies on its patented PermaSafe® technology, which is particularly suited for use with sterilized and pasteurized food products with a long shelf life. Unlike conventional tin cans, PermaSafe® packaging provides a resealable lid and a high-quality look and feel, reminiscent of products from the fresh goods shelf. Several of Sonoco’s customers are already taking advantage of these features, such as Tartex for its vegan “Brotzeit” bread spreads.

Sonoco Alcore and Sonoco Plastics round out the booth

As co-exhibitors from the Sonoco group, Sonoco Alcore and Sonoco Plastics are also represented at the FachPack booth. Sonoco Alcore, a specialist for high-quality tube and core solutions, will present its broad portfolio, which includes packaging solutions for synthetic fibre yarns, foils, labels and metals. The Sonoco subsidiary currently supplies customers in more than 65 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In turn, Sonoco Plastics will be presenting spools, precision winding cores and tubes made of plastic – products favoured by the optical fibre yarn, fibre optic cable, paper, foil, textile and glass yarn industries. The plastic specialist also displays a portfolio of end and side walls as an innovative solution for transport and storage of plastic films.

About Sonoco Europe


Sonoco’s more than 100 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; paper cores for industrial use, Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, 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 approximately $5 billion, the company has 21,000 employees working in more than 330 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2015/2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

Hockenheim, Germany. May 9 2016. Sonoco Europe recently received ISO 50001 certification across Germany for its systematic and efficient energy management. The company’s facility in Lübeck was certified in 2014, followed last year by facilities in Hockenheim, Bunde and Zwenkau. For Sonoco, the introduction of an energy management system represents a further milestone on the path to even greater sustainability. On a global scale, the company has significantly reduced its CO2 emissions and water usage in recent years while investing in biomass cogeneration.

The certification is based on an in-house energy management system planned and implemented by “energy teams” at the individual production facilities. A server-based knowledge platform enables all sites to access information from the other locations and share the results of any actions taken. “We began by measuring exactly how much energy we are using in each area. Our focus was on electricity as our main energy source. This proved to be an eye-opener in many respects,” says Thomas Richter, Energy Management Officer at Sonoco Europe. For instance, it was discovered that lighting alone accounted for as much as 25% of total energy consumption.

Together with experts from DQS, the German Association for Management System Certification, the company conducted a preliminary audit to identify strengths and potential for improvement. One measure was to gradually replace all old lamps with LEDs. This resulted in considerable savings without sacrificing performance. Substantial savings potential was also identified in the compressed air system. An ultrasonic leakage test enabled Sonoco to quickly eliminate leaks in the pipeline and reduce energy consumption. It took about a year to implement all of the measures necessary for certification. The Lübeck site was the first to be certified in 2014, followed in 2015 by the facilities in Hockenheim, Bunde and Zwenkau. The measures described here alone resulted in total energy cost savings for Sonoco of around 2% in the first year.

Hard figures demonstrate sustainability

“Energy costs in Germany are higher than in many other countries and this is regarded as one of the factors that drive inflation. This is why we decided to optimise our energy efficiency by using an energy management system,” Richter says. The objective of ISO 50001 is to define quality standards for energy consumption. The idea is to achieve greater transparency in terms of a company’s energy flow, help systematically improve energy efficiency, and enable long-term cost savings.

Other measures are aimed at improving the efficiency of production systems. A key factor in purchasing new equipment is the total operating costs including energy consumption. The company is successively replacing older motors used in production with new, more economical alternatives. “Our customers also appreciate the fact that we are now certified for energy efficiency across Germany. More and more consumers want products that are produced according to eco-sustainability principles,” Richter explains. “Packaging is a key factor. The less energy the company uses overall, the more it reduces its consumption and the smaller the carbon footprint for packaging production.” Richter is particularly pleased to see how the new energy management system enables Sonoco to provide hard figures to demonstrate the eco-sustainability practised by the company for years. “If we manage to produce a higher volume of rigid paperboard containers without increasing energy consumption, we are definitely on the right track.”

Commitment to reduce environmental footprint

The new energy management system in Germany adds to Sonoco’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability. Since 2009, the global Sonoco enterprise has reduced its CO2 emissions by 24% and its water usage by more than 40%. Additionally, Sonoco’s global manufacturing operations significantly increased their diversion of wastes from landfill. Sonoco’s impact on the environment is also lowered by the efforts of its recycling subsidiary and biomass cogeneration operations. For more information on Sonoco’s ongoing sustainability efforts, please visit www.sonoco.com/sustainability.

About Sonoco Europe

Sonoco’s more than 70 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and display and packaging services. With annualised net sales of approximately $5.0 billion, the company has 21.000 employees working in more than 330 facilities in 34 countries, serving many of the world’s best-known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2015/2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

Hockenheim – December 22, 2015. Sonoco Consumer Products Europe announced today that the company has entered into consultation with the workforce representatives to permanently close two of its production facilities in Germany, Bunde and Hockenheim 3. This step is part of a general restructuring process that aims to ensure profitable growth by consolidating consumer packaging production according to customer demands. Sonoco Consumer Products Europe is the largest producer of rigid paper containers (also known as rigid paper containers) in Europe.

The operational shutdown of the Bunde plant could become effective by May 31, 2016, while the operational shutdown of the Hockenheim 3 plant – one of two production facilities located in Hockenheim – could become effective in the third quarter 2017. “Both plants have had a good operating history and excellent employees, and we regret having to discuss shutdowns. However, due to recent production volume losses at both plants we see no alternative to this step,” said Séan Cairns, General Manager and Vice President, Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. “Although our European business with consumer packaging keeps on growing and is developing very positively, we recently faced a significant decline in the production of tobacco packaging due to the revision of the European Tobacco Product Directive. For this reason and to make sure that our business is fit for the future, we plan to restructure our production in Germany.”

The Bunde plant located in Northwest Germany has a production capacity of 100 million units, while the Hockenheim 3 plant in Southwest Germany can produce 130 million units. The closures could affect 100 employees in total. The company will offer severance benefits and outplacement assistance after the final decision has been taken.

“The planned closure of both plants will have no impact on Sonoco Europe’s services to customers,” Cairns said. “Our remaining consumer plants in Europe have sufficient capacity.” Following this restructuring, Sonoco would retain close to 2 billion units capacity of rigid paper containers in Europe.

Investments in Plastic Packaging located in Zwenkau

Independent of the planned closures, Sonoco Consumer Products Europe has announced an investment of 6.5 million Euros over the next 12 months in their Zwenkau plant in Eastern Germany. The investments will primarily focus on increased production capacity and environmental efficiency of Sonoco’s plastic consumer packaging production located near Leipzig.

“While the planned closure of Bunde and Hockenheim 3 is a difficult decision, the capital to be spent in Zwenkau will turn our production site into one of the most efficient German plants in the industry,” Cairns said “We look forward to beginning investment early in 2016 and to completing the program sometime near the end of 2016.”

About Sonoco Europe

Sonoco’s more than 70 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.

As of January 1st 2016, former Weidenhammer plants and branches will operate under the name Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. This step completes the successful integration after the merger in late 2014, making Sonoco one of the largest diversified global packaging companies with more than 21,000 employees and 340 locations worldwide.

Sonoco Consumer Products Europe is a major force in the European packaging market, operating more than 70 factories and branches across the continent. It offers the broadest range of rigid paperboard containers (also called rigid paper containers) on the market and has significantly expanded its capabilities in high-performance plastics packaging, especially with regard to injection moulding with in-mould labelling. Additionally, Sonoco provides a full range of packaging services, from logistics to brand and graphics management and retail point-of-sale display solutions.

“The unified market presence as Sonoco Consumer Products Europe underlines our approach to form a single company with a unique offer: a completely packaging-neutral approach to our customer’s challenges,” said Séan Cairns, Vice President and General Manager Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. “Our customers will profit from our extensive portfolio of packaging options and related services from one single source.” The rebranding is the final step of the integration of Weidenhammer Packaging Group into Sonoco after the acquisition in late 2014.

About Sonoco Consumer Products Europe

Sonoco’s more than 70 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers’ unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and display and packaging services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5.0 billion, the Company has 20,800 employees working in more 330 facilities in 34 countries, serving many of the world’s best-known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2014/2015 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

Imagelinx services will be sold under the Trident brand and the business will be tasked with effectively combining the core skills of both of these successful organisations, to ensure a seamless transition for clients. Trident has a wide range of clients that include many of the worlds most