HARTSVILLE, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 11, 2009--
Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging
companies, is ranked number 27 on Corporate Responsibility Officer
(CRO) magazine’s recently released 100 Best Corporate Citizens
List® for 2009.
CRO’s 100 Best Corporate Citizens List is the only such list
based on 100-percent, publicly available information and ranks Russell
1000® companies on their performance in seven key areas:
environment, climate change, human rights, philanthropy, employee
relations, financial and governance. The 100 Best Corporate Citizen List
methodology places a premium on companies with high levels of public
disclosure and transparency.
“We are extremely pleased to be included on this prestigious list,” said
Harris E. DeLoach Jr., Sonoco chairman, president and chief executive
officer. “It means that our commitment to sustainability, belief that
our employees build businesses, community outreach efforts, financial
results and ongoing transparency are being recognized and that is very
gratifying for all of our stakeholders.”
According to PR Week, CRO magazine’s 100 Best Corporate
Citizens List is the third most important listing after Forbes’ Best
Places to Work and Fortune’s Most Admired Companies. (Fortune magazine
ranked Sonoco as its fifth most admired company in the packaging
industry in 2009.)
Over the past nine years, companies on the 100 Best Corporate Citizens
List have outpaced the remainder of the other Russell 1000 companies by
an average of 26 percent in three-year total return.
“In good times, checkbook citizenship can win the day,” said CRO
magazine Publisher Jay Whitehead. “But in tough times, strong
reputations and transparency pack as much punch as a strong balance
sheet. In today’s economic recession, human capital and financial
capital seek safety—and companies on the 100 Best Corporate Citizens
List are today’s safest harbors.”
About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $4.1 billion global manufacturer of
industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services,
with more than 300 operations in 35 countries, serving customers in some
85 nations. For more information on the Company, visit our Web site at http://www.sonoco.com/.
Source: Sonoco
Sonoco
Robin Montgomery, 843-383-7509
robin.montgomery@sonoco.com