Completely sustainable and 100% recyclable: Rigid paperboard containers from Sonoco with compostable Vegetop®
Hockenheim / Montanay, April 4 2016. Rigid paperboard containers from Sonoco Europe are highly sustainable convenience packaging solutions manufactured exclusively from recyclable materials. Sonoco Consumer Products Europe has now teamed up with Vegeplast, a specialist for injection-moulded and biodegradable plastics, to take this sustainability concept one step further. The containers introduced by Sonoco in 2015 are designed with a paperboard base and Vegetop®, a special shaker top made of organic, compostable plastic. This extremely eco-friendly packaging solution is ideal for foodstuffs and dietary supplements. Many customers have already adopted this solution and demand continues to grow.
In terms of recycling and eco-friendliness, Sonoco's rigid paperboard containers are firmly established as food packaging leaders. These rigid multi-purpose containers can be individualized thanks to different printing technologies and consist largely of processed recycled paper. Depending on the packaged product, the base is made of plastic, metal, or also of paper. The containers are sealed on the top with an aluminum or paper compound membrane. Special plastic seals guarantee outstanding convenience and product safety. "Our rigid paperboard containers offer a remarkably sustainable packaging solution. All of the components are fully recyclable," says Rolf Regelmann, Director Sales and Marketing at Sonoco Consumer Products Europe. "We continuously invest a lot of time and money in research and development to further improve the environmental footprint of our packaging."
The latest product of these efforts is a rigid paperboard container with a compostable shaker top developed by Sonoco Europe in close cooperation with Vegeplast, a company based in Bazet, France that specializes in biodegradable plastics. The container is made of recycled paper with a robust paperboard base and ensures optimum product safety thanks to a product-specific inner coating. What makes the packaging truly unique is its closure. The new shaker top is made of Vegemat®, a plastic that is 100% biobased, biodegradable and fully compostable in accordance with the European standard EN 13432. The lids are supplied by Vegeplast and have been processed at Sonoco's French facility in Montanay near Lyon since 2015. "We can now offer our customers a rigid paperboard container that sets new standards in environmental friendliness," says Sébastien Fabre, Sales Manager at Sonoco. "The Vegetop® cap and our containers offer a perfect combination. The body of the container is recyclable and the plastic lid is 100% compostable."
Outstanding convenience with marketing advantages
The new lid produced by Vegeplast and Sonoco's rigid paperboard container are supplied together to customers, who attach the lid after filling the container. The containers come in two different sizes with a diameter of 60 or 73 millimeters. Their height is variable and can be adjusted according to the quantity of product inside. Thanks to their environmental properties, rigid paperboard containers with Vegetop® are suitable for dietary supplements and food products ranging from cereals, sugar, spices, and flour, to semolina or dried fruit. Manufacturers can also take advantage of the packaging's excellent environmental properties for marketing purposes. "Today's consumers place increasing importance on environmentally-friendly packaging," Regelmann says. "The rigid paperboard containers with Vegetop® meet these expectations without compromising on visual appeal. Our Vegetop® containers stand out at the point of sale and are extremely convenient for consumers thanks to the practical shaker top."
The first customers to package their products in Vegetop® containers are capitalizing on the "eco-factor" of the new Sonoco solution. A number of companies have been selling dietary supplements, spices and other products in the new containers since 2015 and place special emphasis on the fact that the packaging is biodegradable. The Vegetop® container is attracting a great deal of interest in the market. Projects with other customers are already in the implementation phase.
About Sonoco Europe
Sonoco's more than 70 operations in Europe provide customers with solutions in Global Rigid Paper and Closures; Global Plastics; Packaging Services and Graphics Management. Offering a range of packaging materials, packaging services, technical disciplines, material science and manufacturing capabilities, Sonoco takes a holistic approach to providing customized solutions that meet our customers' unique needs. To learn more, visit www.sonocoeurope.com.
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5.0 billion, the Company has 20,800 employees working in more than 330 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2015/2016 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.
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