We're packaging problem solvers.
When you work with us, you get the market insights, in-house research tools, and sustainable design solutions to engage more customers, meet your business goals, and reduce your environmental impact.
"Regardless of packaging type, sustainability is always an area of focus to serve our customers’ goals. We provide samples and designs in early stages of product development, allowing our team to make recommendations that will support efficient proof of concept so sustainability initiatives can be executed quickly."
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The interior light power is 25.4% more efficient than code standard.
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50% of new wood materials are FSC certified.
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Indoor plumbing fixtures are 48% more efficient than the national standard.
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During construction, 36.65 tons of waste was diverted from landfills.
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More than 93% of new equipment and appliances are Energy Star rated.
Where You Think Inspires What You Think
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, helps building owners and managers improve a building’s life cycle performance, resulting in healthy and financially and environmentally sound performances and practices. The Sonoco Studio excels throughout a number of LEED project categories including: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Indoor Environmental Quality and Innovation & Design.
What Makes EnviroSense®?
A major focus of our EnviroSense® portfolio is the material we use. Is it made from recycled or bio-based content? Can it be easily recycled? Is it sourced responsibly?
Our goal is to offer you a range of sustainable packaging materials, so you can find the solution you need while still protecting our planet.
In order to be EnviroSense Qualified, packaging needs to meet some combination of the following criteria:
Eco-Friendly Packaging Types
See how our range of eco-friendly packaging can help you work toward your sustainability goals.
EcoTect® Paperboard
EcoTect® Paperboard
The natural color and texture of our EcoTect® paperboard has a premium look and feel that resonates with consumers and reinforces our dedication to sustainability.
EcoTect paperboard is made from 100% recycled fibers (85% post-consumer) and is recyclable.
EnviroFlex™ PE Pouches & Wraps
EnviroFlex™ PE Pouches & Wraps
Our EnviroFlex™ technology demonstrates a reduced impact in GHG emissions, water usage, energy usage and/or solid waste (based on the PIQET streamlined life cycle assessment).
Our EnviroFlex products are made with recyclable packaging eligible for the How2Recycle® Store Drop-Off label (if clean and dry). This means it can be dropped off at local retail stores for recycling with grocery bags.
EnviroSense® EnviroCan™
EnviroSense® EnviroCan™
Made of 100% recycled paperboard, the EnviroCan™ container is available with paper bottoms or metal ends. With a steel end, the EnviroCan container is designed right for recyclability as the containers are captured by magnets in the metal sorting process.
A global product offering, the EnviroCan container with metal end can be recycled in the steel stream in the U.S., is eligible for the relevant recycling label in Canada and is now collected in the Bring Bank drop-off centers in the U.K. The paper bottom container is eligible for curbside recycling in the U.K.
EnviroSERVE™ PET
EnviroSERVE™ PET
EnviroSERVE™ PET trays and bowls provide excellent performance through the frozen supply chain and reheating process.
They use customizable post-consumer recycled content up to 30% dependent on customer’s sustainability needs and resin availability.
EnviroSERVE™ Leafy Greens
EnviroSERVE™ Leafy Greens
EnviroServe™ Leafy Greens is manufactured in the U.S. and uses, on average, 70% recycled content which can be adjusted to meet customers’ needs. This salad format decreases plastic by an average of 35% when compared to similarly sized clamshells.
The container is paired with our SmartSeal® FRESH produce lidding film which uses a scientifically tested method to seal in crispness. Keeping your produce fresher longer enhances the consumer experience and reduces food waste.
EnviroSense® PaperBlister™
EnviroSense® PaperBlister™
Sonoco’s EnviroSense® PaperBlister™ is a 100% paper alternative for retail blister packaging. By using only paper material combined with custom window cutouts for product viewing, the new packaging style is a gamechanger on retail shelves. PaperBlister is fully recyclable in the paper waste stream and may be filled and sealed using most existing Sonoco Alloyd sealing machine equipment.
Award-Winning Sustainable Design
Our EnviroSense® PaperBlister™ packaging is shaking up the industry, winning award after award for its innovative design.
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries
Award: Design for Recycling Award
American Forest & Paper Association
Award: 2021 Innovation in Sustainability Award
Sustainable Packaging Coalition
Award: 2021 SPC Innovator Award in the category of ‘Innovation in Design Optimization’
Waste-Free Future with Natural Trays
Nestlé has long been committed to helping create a waste-free future and is finding ways to improve its packaging to be 100% recyclable or reusable by 2025. In the company’s efforts to make its packaging as sustainable as possible, Nestlé sought to tackle a challenge with its black PET trays used for Stouffers’ frozen prepared foods single serve trays.
What is a Life Cycle Assessment?
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a standardized method of determining the most scientific information about environmental impacts in a decision-making process.
Sonoco utilizes PIQET, a streamlined LCA tool to identify environmental hotspots in our packaging. We look at recyclability but recognize that recyclability is just one of many environmental factors that goes into deciding the best packaging for a given application and for the environment. For example, our third-party validated LCA for our EnviroCan™ containers compared the total climate change impact against other rigid packaging formats. LCA allows us to see what makes our products environmentally competitive, both externally and internally.
Life Cycle Assessment Example for the EnviroCan™ Container
Sustainability Insights
Get Started on Your Solution
We think about the future of packaging and how it impacts our planet. We work every day to make better products.