Sonoco Joins New Alliance To Advance Fiber-Based Packaging

Hartsville, SC (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the most sustainable diversified packaging companies in the world, today announced it has joined 4evergreen, an international industry alliance dedicated to boosting the role of fiber-based packaging to create a circular and more sustainable economy that reduces climate change and other environmental impacts.

Launched and hosted by Cepi, the association representing the European paper industry, 4evergreen aims to generate awareness about the benefits of fiber-based packaging materials, advocate for European legislation supporting product design for recyclability and stimulate the development of optimized collection systems and appropriate recycling infrastructures.

The alliance was originally created as a forum to engage and connect industry members from across the fiber-based packaging value chain, from paper and board producers to packaging converters, brand owners and retailers, technology and material suppliers, waste sorters and collectors. The acceleration of environmental awareness combined with increasing consumer concerns has helped fuel the rapid development of more climate friendly options including fiber-based packaging.

“The time to act is now!” says Jori Ringman, Director General at Cepi. “Our industry already has a strong track record in environmental performance and recycling, but our ambition is higher. We are driving a system-wide shift to transition to the next level of circularity and climate resilience. 4evergreen will be the place for the whole industry value chain to co-create and collaborate for a change.”

“Our mission is to deliver breakthroughs that benefit the entire packaging industry and ultimately have a positive impact on people’s lives,” said Sonoco President & CEO Rob Teide. “Meeting these challenges requires a holistic approach to the entire product lifecycle – which means reimagining the processes and technologies associated with packaging, the supply chain and consumer education. Working in collaboration with alliances like 4evergreen will allow us to unlock the enormous potential of fiber-based packaging with greater speed and efficiency.”

The first 4evergreen alliance members include

Nestlé, Danone, Mars, Sonoco, Stora Enso, Smurfit Kappa, Sappi, Metsä Board, UPM, Mayr-Melnhof Group, Reno de Medici, Mondi, Burgo, Kotkamills, DS Smith, Heinzel Group, Ahlstrom Munksjö, International Paper, BillerudKorsnäs, Huhtamäki, SEDA, SIG Combibloc, Tetra Pak, Elopak, Walki, Schur Group, Cardbox Packaging, Firstan Ltd., Westrock, Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG, Graphic Packaging International, AR Packaging, Baumer hhs GmbH, Van Genechten Packaging Group, Sonoco, VTT.

The alliance is welcoming more organizations to join the collaboration.

About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) 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 $5.4 billion, the Company has 23,000 employees working in approximately 300 operations in 36 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, services and programs for our customers, employees and communities that support our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for 2019 as well as Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies. For more information, visit www.sonoco.com.

About CEPI
Cepi is the European association representing the paper industry. We offer a wide range of renewable and recyclable wood-based fibre solutions to EU citizens: from packaging to textile, hygiene and tissue products, printing and graphic papers as well as speciality papers, but also bio-chemicals for food and pharmaceuticals, bio-composites and bioenergy.

We are a responsible industry: 92% of our raw materials are sourced in Europe and certified as sustainable, 91% of the water we use is returned in good condition to the environment. We are the world champion in recycling at the rate of 71.6%. At the forefront of the decarbonisation and industrial transformation of our economy, we embrace digitalisation and bring 20 billion value addition to the European economy and €5.5 billion investments annually.

Through its 18 national associations, Cepi gathers 500 companies operating 895 mills across Europe and directly employing more than 180,000 people. For more information about Cepi, please contact Claire Couet, Cepi Public Affairs & Communications Director, at c.couet@cepi.org.

For more information on 4evergreen membership opportunities please contact Giulia Fadini, Cepi Innovative Projects Manager, at g.fadini@cepi.org.

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