Sonoco sustainability in 2026 and what it means for packaging buyers
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Sonoco sustainability is now framed around measurable climate targets, a reshaped packaging portfolio, and stronger product-level carbon data. The company’s latest public sustainability materials point to three priorities: reducing Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 from a 2020 baseline, reducing Scope 3 emissions by 13.5% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline, and expanding circular packaging options across metal, paper, and fiber-based formats. For packaging buyers, the useful question is how Sonoco’s reported targets, materials strategy, and post-acquisition footprint affect sourcing decisions, recyclability claims, and regulatory readiness.
Why Sonoco sustainability matters in packaging now
Sonoco is not a niche sustainability brand. It is a large packaging manufacturer whose decisions affect consumer packaging, industrial paper packaging, metal packaging, recycling streams, and customer carbon reporting. According to Sonoco’s 2025 annual reporting, the company had about 22,000 employees, 265 operations in 37 countries, and $7.5 billion in 2025 net sales from continuing operations. That scale makes its sustainability strategy relevant to brand owners that need packaging formats to run reliably in production, comply with changing regulations, and support public environmental commitments.
The timing also matters. Packaging buyers are under pressure from extended producer responsibility programs, recyclability claim rules, customer scorecards, and regional regulations such as the European Union’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which became applicable in August 2026 after entering into force in February 2025. These market changes are pushing suppliers to provide clearer material data, more credible end-of-life guidance, and better documentation for claims.
For more industry context on sustainable packaging developments, visit the Sustainability section.
The core targets behind Sonoco sustainability
Sonoco’s environmental program is built around quantified targets rather than one broad pledge. Its publicly stated greenhouse gas goals are to reduce absolute Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2030 from a 2020 base year and reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions by 13.5% by 2030 from a 2019 base year. The company says these targets were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative in 2021 and align with a well-below-2°C pathway.
In its 2025 sustainability materials, Sonoco also said it plans to revalidate its climate goals to align with a 1.5°C pathway. That matters because many buyers now evaluate suppliers not only on whether targets exist, but also on how current those targets are and whether they match expectations from customers, investors, and regulators.
The company’s sustainability framework also covers energy, water, product transparency, and circularity. Sonoco has stated a goal to automate product-level carbon footprint assessment capacity for 75% of its global portfolio by 2030. If implemented at scale, that could help customers compare packaging options using lifecycle data rather than relying only on broad material assumptions.
| Area | Reported Sonoco target or action | Why it matters to buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Scope 1 and 2 emissions | 25% absolute reduction by 2030 from a 2020 baseline | Helps customers assess supplier operational emissions in their own Scope 3 reporting |
| Scope 3 emissions | 13.5% absolute reduction by 2030 from a 2019 baseline | Signals supplier engagement and upstream material focus, especially for steel, paper, and transport |
| Product carbon data | Automated product-level footprint capacity for 75% of the global portfolio by 2030 | Supports packaging comparisons, customer lifecycle assessments, and procurement scorecards |
| Water | Paper mill water use reduction targets of 3% by 2030 and 5% by 2040 | Relevant for fiber-based packaging where mill water use can influence sustainability evaluations |
| Circularity | Investment in recyclable formats, recycled fiber, and recycling infrastructure | Supports recyclability claims, material recovery goals, and packaging waste compliance |
How the Eviosys deal changed the sustainability picture
A major change in Sonoco’s sustainability profile came from the acquisition of Eviosys, completed on December 4, 2024. Eviosys became Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA in 2025, expanding Sonoco’s metal packaging footprint across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Sonoco’s 2025 annual filing described the acquired business as a global supplier of food cans and ends, aerosol cans, metal closures, and promotional packaging, with approximately 6,500 employees and 44 manufacturing facilities across 17 countries at the time of acquisition.
This matters because metal packaging is now central to Sonoco’s post-acquisition positioning. Metal cans have strong circularity advantages where collection and recycling systems are effective, but the emissions profile of metal packaging depends heavily on material production, energy sources, lightweighting, recycled content, and transport. Sonoco has said it works with steel suppliers on decarbonization and responsible sourcing, including supplier practices aligned with its Scope 3 goals.
The acquisition also makes year-to-year sustainability comparisons less straightforward. Sonoco’s 2025 sustainability reporting notes that it was the first year of combined reporting across the legacy Sonoco and Eviosys businesses. The company also disclosed that some data collection, reporting, and integration challenges remain, and that certain Scope 1 fugitive and mobile emissions were not included in 2025 and prior-year data while new reporting processes are being implemented. For buyers and analysts, the direction of travel is useful, but detailed performance trends should be read with that integration caveat in mind.
Operational progress reported in 2025
Sonoco’s 2025 Corporate Sustainability Report, released in June 2026, highlighted 17 energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that reduced emissions by approximately 15,000 metric tons of CO₂e. The company pointed to projects such as solar installations, regenerative brake technology, and air compressor system upgrades.
Operational initiatives are important because packaging sustainability can be weakened when claims focus only on end-of-life recyclability. Manufacturing energy use, mill water consumption, logistics, and supplier emissions all influence the overall environmental profile of a package. Sonoco’s reported projects suggest the company is working on both material design and plant-level efficiency.
Examples from Sonoco’s public sustainability pages include high-efficiency blowers at paper plants in Subang, Indonesia and Stainland, United Kingdom, expected to save about 3.3 million kWh of electricity and reduce emissions by about 2,300 metric tons of CO₂e annually. The company also reports solar installations across the United States and Europe with the capacity to generate 9.2 million kWh per year, and a Hartsville, South Carolina solar project expected to provide about 7.5 million kWh per year of renewable energy to the paper complex.
Water stewardship is another operational focus. Sonoco says it conducts water risk assessments at all of its paper mills, covering more than 90% of global water use, and has set paper mill water reduction goals of 3% by 2030 and 5% by 2040. A reported Wisconsin Rapids mill project reduced effluent by 378 cubic meters per day and generated annual cost savings of $121,000. These details matter because water efficiency can be a meaningful differentiator in fiber-based packaging, especially for customers with supply chain water risk metrics.
Product design is moving toward carbon data and circularity
Sonoco’s product sustainability strategy combines material selection, lifecycle assessment, recyclability, recycled content, and supplier engagement. For buyers, the most important shift may be the company’s commitment to product-level carbon footprint automation. When packaging suppliers can provide consistent carbon data, brand owners can compare options across material performance, manufacturing impact, transport, and end-of-life assumptions. See also: Box Design.
Sonoco’s fiber strategy is built around recycled fiber and certification. The company states that its paperboard mills use 100% recycled fiber, and it references chain-of-custody certifications including FSC, SFI, and PEFC for eligible sites and products. That does not automatically make every finished package recyclable in every local market, but it gives buyers a more concrete basis for assessing sourcing claims.
On the product side, Sonoco has highlighted several sustainable packaging examples. Its paper can with a paper end is described as a rigid paper container made entirely of cardboard, with 90% to 95% recycled content. Sonoco’s GreenCan is described as containing 92% to 98% paper content, reducing reliance on plastic while maintaining packaging performance. In metal packaging, Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA has promoted Ecopeel and Horizon as lightweight or material-reduced solutions.
The key takeaway is that Sonoco’s sustainability story is not limited to one substrate. It spans metal, paper, fiber, and selected plastics-related initiatives. That can help multinational buyers that need format flexibility, but it also means each package should be evaluated by application, geography, recovery infrastructure, food-contact requirements, and verified claims rather than by assuming one material is always the sustainable choice.
What buyers should ask before using Sonoco sustainability claims
For procurement, packaging engineering, and sustainability teams, Sonoco’s public reporting can support supplier evaluation, but it should not replace product-specific due diligence. Sustainability claims are being scrutinized more closely, and a corporate target does not automatically validate an individual package claim.
- Ask for product-specific data. If carbon footprint data is available for a specific format, request the boundary, methodology, assumptions, and whether the data has been reviewed.
- Check local recyclability. A package may be technically recyclable but not widely accepted in all local collection systems. This is especially important for composite packaging and paper-based formats with barrier layers.
- Separate recycled content from recyclability. Recycled fiber or recycled metal content can support a circularity story, but it is different from proving that the finished package will be collected, sorted, and recycled after use.
- Review regulatory fit. In the EU, PPWR compliance requires attention to recyclability, labeling, hazardous substance restrictions, and other obligations that phase in over time.
- Account for acquisition-related data changes. Because 2025 was a combined reporting year after the Eviosys acquisition, trend comparisons should be checked carefully.
A practical sourcing conversation should connect Sonoco’s corporate sustainability commitments with the buyer’s exact SKU, market, filling process, shelf-life needs, and recovery pathway. That is where broad sustainability language becomes a usable packaging decision.
Limitations and open questions
Sonoco’s sustainability reporting provides useful transparency, but readers should note several limitations. First, company-reported sustainability data is not the same as a third-party comparative ranking of all packaging suppliers. Second, the 2025 reporting boundary changed because of portfolio moves, including the integration of Eviosys and divestitures of other businesses. Third, some emissions data categories remain in development, as Sonoco has disclosed for certain Scope 1 fugitive and mobile emissions.
There is also a broader packaging industry challenge: recyclability depends on infrastructure. A material can have strong circular potential, but real-world outcomes depend on collection access, sorting technology, consumer behavior, food contamination, and end-market demand. This is why Sonoco’s investments in recycling operations and product design should be viewed as part of a wider system, not as a complete solution by themselves.
For buyers, the most balanced view is that Sonoco sustainability has become more data-driven and more closely tied to metal and paper packaging after the Eviosys acquisition. The opportunity is stronger supplier data and broader sustainable packaging options. The risk is relying on corporate-level commitments without verifying the exact package, market, and end-of-life pathway.
Frequently asked questions
What are Sonoco’s main sustainability targets?
Sonoco’s main publicly stated climate targets are to reduce Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030 from a 2020 baseline and reduce Scope 3 emissions by 13.5% by 2030 from a 2019 baseline. The company also has targets related to product carbon footprint automation and paper mill water reduction.
How did Eviosys affect Sonoco sustainability?
The Eviosys acquisition expanded Sonoco’s metal packaging footprint, especially in EMEA. It strengthened Sonoco’s position in food cans, ends, closures, and aerosol packaging, while also making sustainability reporting more complex because 2025 was the first year of combined reporting across the legacy businesses.
Is Sonoco packaging recyclable?
Some Sonoco packaging formats are designed for recyclability, and the company promotes circular design across paper, fiber, and metal packaging. However, recyclability depends on the specific package structure, local collection systems, sorting infrastructure, and applicable labeling rules. Buyers should request product-specific recyclability support.
What should packaging buyers take from Sonoco’s sustainability reporting?
Buyers should see Sonoco’s reporting as a useful supplier-level signal, especially around emissions targets, energy projects, water stewardship, recycled fiber, and product carbon data. The next step is to validate claims at the package and market level before using them in procurement decisions or consumer-facing communications.
