Sonoco’s EnviroCan earns prequalification for How2Recycle labeling

Global packaging company Sonoco Products Co., Hartsville, South Carolina, has received prequalification to carry the How2Recycle “Check Locally” label for its EnviroCan Metal Bottom rigid paper container.

The company says the EnviroCan paper container body is made of 100 percent-recycled fiber, with 90 percent coming from postconsumer resources. The metal bottom end is made of steel.

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Sonoco notes the How2Recycle on-pack label guides consumers with clear instructions for recycling at their location and demonstrates the packaging company’s ongoing efforts to develop innovative, sustainable packaging solutions for customers and consumers worldwide.

“Securing the prequalification for the EnviroCan Metal Bottom is the result of years of data and evidence collection as well as collaboration with recyclers,” says Sabrina Dixon-Ridges, Sonoco’s director of global operational sustainability.

“With the How2Recycle prequalification, the EnviroCan solution meets customers’ performance expectations while providing quantifiable sustainable improvements,” says Scott Byrne, Sonoco’s vice president of global sustainability. “It’s a smart, reliable choice for brand owners to meet their sustainability goals and help drive the circular economy forward.”

According to a life-cycle assessment commissioned by Sonoco, recycling a paper container with a steel bottom end has 23.5 percent lower global warming potential when compared to landfilling steel, primarily because it decreases the need to mine for new iron ore, a key raw material in steel production. The company says steel also is the world’s most recycled material. The company cites an American Institute of Steel Construction estimate that more than 70 million tons of scrap wind up at domestic mills each year, and more than 80 percent of steel products are produced from these recycled materials.

How2Recycle is North America’s most prominent standardized label system that allows companies to accurately communicate the recyclability of packaging. The on-pack labeling was created to provide consistent and transparent recycling information for U.S. and Canada consumers.

“We’re always proud to see that the collaboration and hard work of How2Recycle member companies can result in upgrades to a packaging format and a material’s recyclability,” says Paul Nowak, executive director at GreenBlue, parent nonprofit of How2Recycle. “With this effort, Sonoco is advancing sustainable packaging by not only improving the recyclability of their packaging but also ensuring that its product’s disposal instructions are easily understood by consumers.”