ADAPTING TO NEW CLIMATES: 2001-2019
Many of the biggest breakthroughs in science, technology and design have been deceptively simple.
Take the paper cone. At first glance, there’s not a lot to it, but it completely transformed the textile industry. It made work faster and far less expensive. When Walter F. Smith secured the patent for the manufacture of paper cones in 1908, he enabled Sonoco to become one of “the only practical cone makers in the United States” (along with the Pairpoint Corporation of New Bedford).
Innovation isn’t just vision—it’s also the ability to act.
You could say that if Sonoco hadn’t secured this patent, someone else would have—and that’s probably true. But time and again, we’ve demonstrated the ability to invent a process, piece of machinery or new core or packaging element that no one else had come up with.
These innovations are the sweet spot of our relationships with partners across industries.
Chief Executive Officer Howard Coker says: “[Our innovative approach doesn’t come] from an external viewpoint but [from] having a relationship with the customer. Tell us your challenges. Let us go back and try to come up with some solutions that will address that. That’s innovation.”
Our innovations improve the way contractors craft parts and build infrastructure, the way consumers experience products off the shelf and the way hospitals serve and treat patients.
Look at New York City’s One57, a 75-story skyscraper on the west side of Manhattan. What you see is a tower of glass. What keeps it standing are Sonotube® concrete forms, an innovation that has supported projects of similar scopes for more than 75 years.
The concrete forms themselves may seem like a basic invention. But look at the final product.
Breakthroughs happen because of mutual trust and investment and because of constant testing, retesting and collaboration with our partners.
In the world of consumer packaging, there may be no greater innovation to date than SmartSeal® easy-open and reclosable flexible packages.
Originally developed in 2005 for certain cookies we all know and love, Snack ’n Seal has since been adapted for a wide range of snacks and food items. Today, it’s commonplace, because it addresses an essential truth: You don’t always get through the full stack in one snacking session.
For us, innovation has become more and more about sustainability. In 2020, we introduced a line of more sustainable packaging that can be applied across the entire business, from rigid plastics to paper containers. EnviroSense® packaging includes cans made from 100% recycled paperboard, as well as flexible pouches made from just one type of material—which makes them far easier to recycle.
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They say necessity is the mother of invention. That said, you won’t get anywhere without at least a bit of foresight. Thanks to our research and innovation studios around the world, we’re able to model and pressure-test products for durability and effectiveness well before they go to market.
Our relationships with customers put us at the intersection of many different industries, helping us predict where consumer behavior and industrial needs are going. In a sense, they act as a crystal ball that lets us peek into the future—creating products that meet the needs of tomorrow.