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Awards, Certifications & Memberships

Sonoco's achievements confirm that our actions and performance are at the highest level with our peers and with the best companies in the world.

Awards and Recognition

2024

  • Awarded the ‘Best in Class for Sustainable Package Design - Packaging Circularity’ and the ‘Award of Distinction for Package Innovation Design – Technical’ by The Packaging Association (PAC) for the EnviroCan® with a paper bottom. 
  • Recognized as Best in Class and Best of Show for Sustainable Package Design at the PAC Global Awards by PAC for the Sonoco Alloyd Pentel RSVP Pen PaperBlister packaging. 
  • Named one of America's Most Responsible Companies 2024 by Newsweek and Statista. 
  • Received the ICON Award from Dekra for improving safety and reducing exposures. 
  • Honored with the Top Corporations Award from the Greater Women’s Business Council. 
  • Received the Gold Safety Award from the Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) for our Stainland Board Mill in the UK. 
  • Awarded with the Sustainable Innovation Award from CPI for our UK Rigid Paper Container team’s collaboration with a customer. 
  • Given the Excellence Award for Innovation Sustainability by the Innovation Research Interchange (IRI), a Division of National Association of Manufacturers for our Global Paper Products’ ‘biogas’ renewable energy project in Hartsville. 
  • Won Gold in Snacks and Confectionary and Silver in Sustainable Innovation of the Year at the 2024 Packaging News Environmental Packaging Awards for our Europe Rigid Paper Container teams’ collaboration with a customer that produced a widely recycled paper bottom can. 
  • Recognized with the WorldStar Award in the Household Category by the World Packaging Organisation (WPO) for the Sonoco Alloyd Pentel RSVP Pen PaperBlister packaging. 
  • Honored with the Safety Health and Recognition Program (SHARP) Award from South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for our recycling plant in Columbia, South Carolina. 
  • Awarded the Sustainable Packaging Initiative Award from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) for our paper can that’s fully recyclable in the UK's domestic paper and cardboard recycling stream. 
  • Named the Best Supplier of 2023 in Latin America from Mead Johnson Nutrition (a Reckitt Benckiser group) for our rigid paper container plant in Araras, Brazil. 

2023

  • Achieved Silver Medal from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains. 
  • Named one of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2023 by Newsweek® and Statista. 
  • Noted as America’s Climate Leader 2023 by USA Today® and Statista. 
  • Listed as a "Best for Vets" company by the Military Times. 
  • Honored with the Sustainability Award by American Forest & Paper Association® (AF&PA) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing renewable energy to South Carolina. 
  • Recognized as the 2023 Ameristar Sustainability Excellence Winner for the Sonoco Alloyd Pentel® R.S.V.P.® Pen PaperBlister™ packaging. 
  • Listed as the only company headquartered in South Carolina on the 2023 Fortune 500 list. 
    Received the Carolina STAR Award by the North Carolina Department of Labor for our recycling facilities in Jacksonville and Wilmington, North Carolina. 
  • Awarded with the Sustainable Packaging Award from Institute of Paper Packaging (IoPP) AmeriStar for the Sonoco Alloyd Pentel RSVP Pen PaperBlister packaging. 
  • Recognized with the People’s Choice Award at PackExpo for the Sonoco Alloyd Pentel RSVP Pen PaperBlister packaging. 
  • Honored with the Supply Quality Recognition award from Reckitt Benckiser® for our rigid paper container plant in Araras, Brazil. 

Certifications and Memberships

  • ABRE 
  • Amazon Packaging Support and Supplier Network (APASS) 
  • American Forest and Paper Association 
  • AMERIPEN 
  • Association of Plastics Recyclers 
  • Association of Oregon Recyclers 
  • Carbon Disclosure Project 
  • Carolina Recycling Association 
  • Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies 
  • Confederation of European Paper Industries 
  • EcoVadis 
  • Environmental Education Association of South Carolina 
  • EPS Industry Alliance 
  • EUROPEN 
  • Flexible Packaging Europe 
  • Flexible Packaging Association 
  • Foodservice Packaging Institute 
  • Forest Stewardship Council® 
  • Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council 
  • INCPEN 
  • Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries 
  • ISCC+ 
  • National Council for Air and Stream Improvement 
  • National Minority Supplier Development Council 
  • National Veterans Business Development Council 
  • Northeast Recycling Council 
  • Operation Clean Sweep 
  • Paper and Packaging Board 
  • PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies) 
  • Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification 
  • The Recycling Association 
  • South Carolina Chamber of Commerce 
  • South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance 
  • Southeast Recycling Development Council 
  • State of Texas Alliance for Recycling 
  • Sustainable Forest Initiative® 
  • Sustainable Packaging Coalition 
  • Women’s Business Enterprise National Council 
  • 4Evergreen 

Our membership in various industry trade organizations keeps us informed of relevant industry trends and developments. We exercise no control or influence over any political activities of such organizations. Our Company policies restrict engagement in political activities, and we have a long-standing policy against political contributions. For more information about our policies, please see our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and Anti-Bribery and Corrupt Practices Act Policy, which are available through the Investor Relations section of our website at investor.sonoco.com.

Our Fiber Certifications

Sonoco is committed to responsible use of natural resources through responsible sourcing, recycling and use of recycled fiber in our paper-based packaging.  Sonoco’s U.S., Canadian, U.K., Brazilian and one of our Mexican mills are certified to one or more fiber certification programs.  These are:  the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) and the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification® (PEFC®) Chain of Custody and Due Diligence System Standards.  Additionally, we have plants in our paper container packaging, industrial tubes & cores, and primary packaging carton operations that are certified to these programs and can produce certified packaging.  Overall sales (certified and not) by these mills and fiber certified plants is equal to 15% of Sonoco’s revenue.

All but three of our 19 global paperboard mills use 100% recycled fiber in their production.  Some amount of responsibly-sourced virgin fiber is needed for select grades of paperboard.  The amount of recycled fiber in our paper containers range from 60 to 80+ percent, depending on the product specifications for the package.  On average, the amount of recycled fiber used in our industrial tubes and cores exceeds 95 percent.

FSC Chain of Custody Certificate (89.93 KB) Sustainable Forestry Initiative Chain of Custody Certificate (295.07 KB) PEFC Chain of Custody Certificate (111.29 KB) Sustainable Forestry Initiative Chain of Custody Management Standard Certificate (297.58 KB)

Sonoco is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact.

As a participant of the UN Global Compact, Sonoco Products Company voluntarily commits to operate in alignment with universal sustainability principles in four areas:

  • Human rights
  • Labor
  • Environment
  • Anti-corruption

Our Commitment

Read a letter from Howard Coker, President and CEO of Sonoco Products Company, expressing the company's commitment to the UN Global Compact.

Sonoco's Letter of Commitment (78.55 KB)

Let's strive for excellence together.