SEC Form 3

FORM 3

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

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1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* NEWTON LLOYD W (Last) (First) (Middle) ONE NORTH SECOND STREET (Street) HARTSVILLE SC 29550 (City) (State) (Zip)	2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year) 02/06/2008	3. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol SONOCO PRODUCTS CO [ SON ]
		4. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable) X Director 10% Owner Officer (give title below) Other (specify below)	5. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)
			6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line) X Form filed by One Reporting Person Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 4)	2. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned (Instr. 4)	3. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5)	4. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)

Table II - Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 4)	2. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 4)		4. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	5. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 5)	6. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 5)
	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares

Explanation of Responses:

Remarks:

Exhibit List Exhibit 24 - Power of Attorney

No securities are beneficially owned.

	By: George S. Hartley - Power of Attorney For: Lloyd W. Newton	02/08/2008
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 5 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
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Exhibit 24


SPECIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY


	Know all men by these presents, that the undersigned director or
officer, or both, of Sonoco Products Company constitutes and appoints Charles
J. Hupfer, Ritchie L. Bond and George S. Hartley, his or her true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, and each of them with full power to act without the other for
him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities, to execute and file, or cause to be filed, with the Securities
and Exchange Commission Forms 3, 4 and 5 pursuant to Section 16 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the "Act") and any amendment to
the foregoing, on his or her behalf, or on behalf of any trust or other
entity that is required by the rules under Section 16 of the Act, to file
reports under Section 16 because of the fact that said director or officer is
a trustee, fiduciary or otherwise, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and
agents, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and
thing requisite and necessary to be done as fully to all intents and purposes
as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all
that said attorneys-in-fact and agents may lawfully do or cause to be done by
virtue hereof.  The authority granted by this Special Power of Attorney shall
remain in effect as long as the undersigned is required to file Forms 4 and 5
under the reporting requirements of Section 16.  The undersigned acknowledges
that no attorney-in-fact of the undersigned pursuant to this Special Power of
Attorney, by serving in such capacity, is assuming any of the undersigned's
responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Act.

	IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this Special Power of
Attorney this 7th, day of February, 2008.


S/ Lloyd W. Newton
Lloyd W. Newton