Thirty Sonoco Facilities Receive Sustainability Star Awards for 2011 Sustainability Efforts

HARTSVILLE, S.C., Oct. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, today announced that 19 of its Industrial Carriers (North America) facilities successfully diverted over 95 percent of  landfill waste in 2011. These 19 facilities bring the total number of Sonoco plants to 30. Four of the 19 plants have achieved landfill-free status by sending less than one percent to landfill, while the other 15 have reached five percent or less.

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"One of our Company-wide sustainability initiatives is to take 10 percent of our global manufacturing facilities landfill free by 2015," said Harris DeLoach Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. "To see this level of buy-in by one of our divisions is very encouraging, and raises the bar for all Company divisions."

"I am very proud of our group," said James Harrell, vice president, Industrial Carriers NA. "To achieve this level of landfill diversion, the entire Industrial Carriers division had to coordinate its efforts across the United States and Canada. They've been tracking landfill tonnage for over two years, working to decrease and divert wastes, and the time and work they've put into this is evident in the results."

Facilities recognized included:

Gold Star Awards - Opp, Ala.; Cap de la Madeleine, Quebec; Delta, British Columbia; West Chicago, Ill.

Silver Star Awards - Neenah, Wis.; Hartsville Converting, S.C.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Baton Rouge, La.; Elon, N.C.; Robesonia, Pa.; Pittsfield, Maine; Akron, Ind.; Morganfield, Ky.; Berthoud, Colo.; Boone, Iowa; City of Industry, Calif.; Lewiston, Idaho; Woodland, Wash.; St. John, Neb.

Created by Sonoco Recycling, a leader in recycling and a unit of Sonoco, to recognize customer and Sonoco facilities for achieving significant milestones in landfill diversion and waste stream reduction, the Sonoco Sustainability Star Award program is composed of three tiers:

• Gold Star Awards, which recognizes facilities as landfill free for achieving 99 percent landfill diversion;
• Silver Star Awards, which are given to facilities achieving 95 percent landfill diversion; and
• Bronze Awards, which recognize facilities that have made significant waste reduction achievements.

To see the full list of Star Award winners and learn more about our Sonoco Sustainability Star Award program, administered by Sonoco Recycling, visit http://www.sonoco.com/productsservices/sonocorecycling/sustainabilitystarawards.aspx or stop by our booth #S-1562 at Pack Expo.

A recycling leader with 50 locations and expertise worldwide, Sonoco Recycling annually collects approximately 3 million tons of old corrugated containers, various grades of paper, metals and plastics. In addition, the Company has experts who provide secure, reliable and innovative recycling solutions to residential and commercial customers. Currently, Sonoco Recycling operates six material recovery facilities (MRFs) and serves nearly 150 communities in which curbside-collected residential and commercial materials are processed. The Company also provides recycling programs which identify waste reduction opportunities that reduce operating expenses for many of the largest consumer product companies in the U.S.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $4.5 billion, the Company has more than 19,600 employees working in over 340 operations in 34 countries, serving many of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2012/2013 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

SOURCE Sonoco