This conversion from both plastic and paperboard packaging resulted in a minimum 75 percent weight reduction of the various package sizes offered.
When the facility reaches full capacity in July, it will be the first time in seven years that the United Kingdom has had a place to recycle its beverage cartons. The new facility can recycle 25,000 tons of cartons, nearly half of the approximately 60,000 tons of paper-based cartons used in the UK each year. In additional to municipal recycling, Heathrow Airport, which generates around 110,000 tonnes of waste a year, 2.5% of which is coffee cups, is looking to recycle at the beverage recycling plant as well.
Sonoco Alcore will use the paperboard layers from the recycled cartons to produce coreboard, used to make tubes and cores for consumer and industrial applications, such as cling film, textiles and paper.
He is passionate about the “bigger picture” and implements new processes and guidelines at Sonoco that will guide us on our sustainability journey. We sat down with him to learn more about his career path, his interests and how the sustainability trend is changing the market.
What are your duties as a sustainability manager?
The idea of sustainability focuses on the ecological, social and economic aspects of any given issue and seeks to find a balance between these three perspectives. As a sustainability manager, it is my responsibility to advise the company in several areas and according to these principles. Together with my colleagues, I decide on suitable measures and work to find sustainable long-term solutions.
My goal is to share my knowledge about sustainability so that ideally all Sonoco employees have a common understanding on that topic. My role is to provide the company with sound advice on the direction for its sustainability journey, so that every employee knows what steps to take next. I also act as an interface for customers and other stakeholders who are equally concerned about sustainability and want to align their ideas with ours.
What is your academic/professional background and how did you become a sustainability manager?
There are a lot of ways to enter the field of sustainability. I myself have a background in the natural sciences, having studied Geo-Ecology and International Management of Resources and the Environment. This background allows me to assess the sustainability aspects of different issues very well. On the one hand, I can assess the impact of a product or measure on the environment in both short and long term. On the other, thanks to what I learned from my management studies, I have a thorough understanding of the various social and economic processes within a big organisation like Sonoco. My first job in the field of sustainability was in the automotive industry. The focus there was primarily on improving development and production processes. At Sonoco, my focus is mainly on the product itself. I try to find answers to questions like: What do we have to do to offer more sustainable packaging? And what is the definition of sustainable packaging in the first place? Anyone who wants to be involved in sustainability management should be curious about the bigger picture, so to speak. Sustainability is based on the idea of balance and preservation, while taking into account environmental, social and economic aspects. As a sustainability manager, I’m confronted with a number of new topics daily, so I have to familiarise myself with them quickly. I also enjoy working with people, and in conversations, I often find myself in the role of the mediator.
Why did you decide to become a sustainability manager?
As a child, my love for nature and the world at large was sparked by taking regular hikes. That’s something I’ve been able to keep as an adult, and now I would like to do my part, so that all children and adults can discover that beauty for themselves. I am interested in economic issues and I like dealing with people. Working as a sustainability manager involves all those interests.
What do like most about your job?
When I start working on a new issue, at first I often don’t know how to solve it. It’s only by collaborating with my colleagues that I can deliver a suitable solution that provides sustainable outcomes for the company and all its employees. I learn something new from them every day, so it never gets boring.
What topics are you currently working on?
An attitude change is taking place in the market right now, and the topic of recyclable packaging is becoming more and more important. Many companies are defining new standards for themselves in response to this change. In this context, it is my job to review these standards in close collaboration with experts, and to provide guidelines for my internal and external colleagues. My focus area is Europe. I’m also overseeing both smaller and larger projects in which we’re testing the recyclability of our products at sorting and recycling plants. My participation as Sonoco’s representative at associations in the packaging and recycling industry is an important point on my agenda, too. We jointly define new standards and guidelines for recycling in order to promote a circular economy and a more sustainable use of resources.
Delivering superior taste and premium quality comes with the job description of any respectable chef, since their line of work demands precision, excellence and finesse. When preparing their culinary creations, they rely not only on their own mastery of the craft, but also on premium ingredients. This is where high-quality spices from Aromica Tradizio come in: the line of organic and sustainably sourced spices and spice blends meets the high standards of professional chefs and culinary enthusiasts alike, without neglecting environmental concerns.
For its eco-friendly packaging, the German manufacturer relies on rigid paper containers from Sonoco Europe. They feature a recyclable cardboard can and a biodegradable cork lid, offering optimal protection for the contents while simultaneously reflecting Aromica’s focus on sustainability.
Being a trained chef himself, Rudolf Rehrl, founder and CEO of Aromica, wanted to create a product that not only delivered premium quality in terms of taste, but also excelled in terms of eco-friendliness. He founded Aromica after noticing an increased demand for high-quality spices among chefs: “As a chef, you are constantly looking for new and surprising ways to impress your guests. Unusual and premium-quality ingredients are an excellent source of inspiration. With our Aromica Tradizio line, we can now also satisfy customers’ growing demands for sustainability – with the potential to also sell our products in selected grocery stores,” says Rehrl. Currently, the Aromica Tradizio line, which features exotic organic spices such as opal basil and mountain pine from the Alps, is available in Italy, Austria and, most recently, Germany.
Cardboard and cork for a perfect match
Sonoco’s eco-friendly packaging ensures that the spices stand out from the competition on store shelves, retain their premium taste and quality, and thus appeal to professional chefs and passionate home cooks alike. Rudolf Rehrl is convinced that the collaboration with Sonoco has been an important factor in his company’s success: “We constantly seek to supply our clients with new and exciting high-quality products, without having to compromise on our promise of sustainability. With Sonoco’s help, we can deliver just that.” The rigid paper containers for Aromica Tradizio are manufactured at the Sonoco plant in Montanay, France. With a diameter of 73 mm, the cans consist of a variety of sustainable materials: the body has a thin, aluminium-free inner lining, allowing it to be recycled via the paper wastestream, while the reclosable cork lid can simply be sorted with the organic waste. This fits perfectly with Aromica’s holistic approach to sustainability: “We source our ingredients from independent local farmers following the natural harvest cycle and package it responsibly at the end. To me, that is sustainability thought through at each stage of the process,” says Rehrl.
A reliable partner for sustainability
Sonoco produces packaging for both global players and regional companies alike, and provides customised packaging solutions on every level. Francesco Giannolo, Sales Director Sonoco Consumer Products Europe, is excited about working with the German spice manufacturer: “Our collaboration with Aromica is a good example of Sonoco’s ability to supply packaging that perfectly fits each brand’s profile. We create packaging that is functional, eye-catching and in line with our customer’s vision. Working closely with Aromica, Sonoco developed innovative features for this highly dynamic company, thus boosting their growth journey”.
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 www.sonoco.com.
Hockenheim, 12.11.2018 – The sustainability and recyclability of their solutions is a key issue for the packaging experts at Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. Advanced In-Mould-Labelling (IML) technology and a focus on mono-material enable them to produce plastic packaging solutions that are almost completely recyclable. The cyclos-HTP institute for recycling and product responsibility recently tested Sonoco’s polypropylene (PP) packagings that are currently being used on the market by several clients. What it found: the Sonoco packaging solutions offer an extraordinarily high recyclability of close to 100 percent.
Cyclos-HTP, based in Aachen, was founded in 2014 with the self-proclaimed goal of classifying, surveying and testing the recycling capabilities of packaging and other goods. The institute analyses a given packaging’s materials and assesses how it is actually recycled in the industrial-scale recycling streams established in Germany and other European countries. To this end, cyclos-HTP runs the packaging solutions through real sorting systems, a testing concept that piqued Sonoco’s interest. “When we design new packaging solutions, we consider three main aspects: Does the new solution safely protect sensitive goods? Does it fit in with and simplify consumers’ everyday lives? But equally important: How can we make the packaging as sustainable as possible by using recyclable materials?” says Andreas Rothschink, Sales Director Sonoco Europe. “For our plastic packaging solutions, we rely on high-quality PP. By working with cyclos-HTP, we received solid proof that our packaging solutions have a recyclability of close to 100 percent and can actually be recycled just as we intended.”
The result: almost completely recyclable packaging solutions
cyclos-HTP tested a packaging that is similar to solutions used by a variety of brands. Its base is a Sonoco IML container, which is covered by a plastic lid and an aluminium membrane produced by other manufacturers. The final score after testing showed that Sonoco’s container has a recyclability level of up to 98 percent, with small deductions for printing colour and finish. Together with the aluminium membrane and the PET-plastic lid, the tested solution had an overall recyclability level of 88 percent. “The test result shows: if clients want to raise the recyclability of their packaging to more than 90 percent, mono-material is key,” says Andreas Rothschink. “We can provide both containers and lids made from PP. Customers can also use PP membranes for products that don’t require high barrier properties, such as chilled food or dairy products.”
Mono-material packaging for high recyclability
Sonoco’s IML containers are used for a wide variety of food – from snacks like precooked sausages to fresh dairy products such as yoghurt. In the dairy segment, the mono-material packaging outdoes other common solutions such as plastic containers wrapped in cardboard for a more naturalistic look. Made from two entirely different material groups, the cardboard wrap-around and the container need to be separated completely to be recycled. Many of these packagings, however, end up in the recycling systems unseparated, which is why they are attributed recycling rates of under 50 percent.
For Sonoco, one major takeaway from the cyclos-HTP analysis was the benefits of mono-material packaging. “The analysis confirms one principle behind our packaging development: given the current status of the German and other European recycling systems, the best way that we can ensure our packaging’s recyclability is to use as few different materials as possible,” says Andreas Rothschink. “To further increase the recyclability of its plastic packaging, Sonoco will continue to focus on mono-material solutions with a recyclability of close to 100 percent.”
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 rigid paper containers, 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. Utilising 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 sonocoeurope.com or read more on Linkedin.
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 annualised 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.