Sonoco Grows Sustainable Packaging Offerings with Two New EnviroFlex® Paper Pre-qualifications for How2Recycle® Labeling

HARTSVILLE, S.C., Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- August 8, 2023 – Sonoco (NYSE: SON) has added two new cold seal structures to the growing family of EnviroFlex^® Paper products receiving How2Recycle^® Widely recyclable pre-qualification. EnviroFlex Paper Ultimate (ULT) 1.0 CS and Advanced (ADV) 4.0 CS are the first of their kind to bring cold seal properties to curbside recyclable paper packaging. This results from Sonoco’s ongoing efforts to develop and provide a range of innovative and sustainable packaging solutions to meet the challenging needs of consumer-packaged goods companies in today’s competitive market.

The ULT line of paper-based packaging has high oxygen, moisture, and grease barrier, ideal for moisture sensitive applications like pet treats and products containing nuts. The ADV line provides optimal performance for medium level oxygen and moisture barrier applications, like confections and powdered products. Adding a curbside recyclable, cold seal package to the EnviroFlex Paper line provides a sustainable option and exceptional protection for heat sensitive goods, like chocolate confectionary products. Sonoco understands the importance of providing safe and non-toxic materials in convenient formats; therefore, the company has gone above and beyond to develop the EnviroFlex Paper line without chemicals of concern, such as PFAS and PVDC.

“Non-fiber components may cause disruption during the paper making process and impact the quality of recycled paper.” Laura Buen Abad said, Senior Director of Technology and Marketing. “Through partnering with our suppliers and leveraging our internal screening capabilities to test fiber repulping and recycling, our team has developed cold seal paper-based structures that allow for the clean separation of cold seal and paper fibers and result in excellent paper quality after the standard paper recycling process. This was recently confirmed through third party testing.”

How2Recycle^® is the first standardized label system that allows companies to accurately track and measure the recyclability of packaging. The on-pack labeling was created to provide consistent and transparent disposal information for US and Canada consumers.

EnviroFlex Paper can make a real difference in reducing waste and promoting responsible packaging practices. With the How2Recycle^® “widely recyclable” pre-qualification, this product will continue expanding Sonoco’s reach and provide access to circular and innovative packaging solutions.

If you would like to learn more about EnviroFlex Paper or any of Sonoco’s sustainable flexible packaging solutions, visit www.sonoco.com/enviroflexpaper.

About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) is a global provider of packaging products. With net sales of approximately $7.3 billion in 2022, the Company has approximately 22,000 employees working in more than 300 operations around the world, serving the world's best-known brands. With our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life., Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, and a better world, for our customers, employees and communities. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies for 2022 as well as being included in Barron's 100 Most Sustainable Companies for the fourth consecutive year. For more information on the Company, visit www.sonoco.com.

About How2Recycle®
The How2Recycle® label is a U.S. and Canada-based standardized labeling system that clearly communicates disposal instructions to the public. Over 500 brand owners and retailers are members of How2Recycle, and tens of thousands of products carry the How2Recycle label in the marketplace. How2Recycle is a project of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition^®, a membership-based group that brings together business, educational institutions, and government agencies to collectively broaden the understanding of packaging sustainability and develop meaningful improvements for packaging solutions. How2Recycle and Sustainable Packaging Coalition are part of GreenBlue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Charlottesville, Virginia. For more information, go to www.How2Recycle.info. Companies interested in joining How2Recycle can visit http://how2recycle.info/join for more information or contact how2recycle@greenblue.org.

Contact:
Lisa Weeks
+843-383-7524
lisa.weeks@sonoco.com