Sustainable Operations
Sustainable Operations Start at the Source
Our Better Packaging. Better Life.® promise begins long before products reach store shelves — it starts with how we operate. From energy use and water conservation to emissions and waste reduction, we’re taking science-backed, measurable action to shrink our footprint and increase our positive impact.
Science-Based Targets, Real Results
We’ve set ambitious, science-backed targets to guide internal programs and global investments aimed at reducing energy use, conserving natural resources and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Our climate goals align with limiting global warming to well below 2°C. By 2030, we’re targeting:
- A 25% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions (from a 2020 base year)
- A 13.5% reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions (from a 2019 base year)
These targets were validated in 2021 by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a global organization enabling companies and institutions to set environmental goals in accordance with science. Since August 30, 2024, 6,000 companies and financial institutions have joined the SBTi initiative.
Measuring Up to Our Promise
9.8% Energy usage reduction through 2024, exceeding our goal of 8% by 2030 (2020 baseline)
Across our operations, we pursue energy reductions through upgrades in equipment and systems — from LED lighting and process chillers to HVAC, compressed air and turbo blowers.
For example, high-efficiency blowers installed at our Subang, Indonesia and Stainland, UK paper plants are expected to save 3.3 million kWh of electricity and reduce emissions by 2,300 MTCO₂e annually.
We’re also expanding our use of renewable energy sources. Solar installations across the U.S. and Europe have capacity to generate 9.2 million kWh per year, cutting emissions by ~3,000 MTCO₂e.
Sonoco also purchases renewable energy through utility contracts and power purchase agreements (PPAs). At our Skjern plant in Denmark, a PPA with a local utility provider gives us 100% of purchased electricity from solar, representing 19% of the plant’s total energy needs.
In 2023, we signed a virtual purchase power agreement (VPPA) with ENGIE North America to support a 140MW capacity wind turbine in Texas, representing about half of our U.S. electricity consumption and providing us up to 500,000 MWh of renewable energy credits annually.
Right here in Hartsville
Hartsville Renewable Energy Projects
Sonoco installed a solar panels project in Hartsville that is expected to provide approximately 7.5 million kWh per year of renewable energy to the paper complex. We also installed six EV charging stations on the corporate campus, with two of the stations powered solely by solar panels.
Like our corporate energy targets, our paper mills have established their own commitments to reduce water usage in the years ahead - a 3% consumption reduction by 2030 and a 5% reduction by 2040. This would lower our water intensity from 12.8 m³/ton to 12.3 m³/ton - a level that's already well below the industry average of 20 m³/ton.
Charting Our Course
Upgraded systems and smarter strategies help us reduce water use and promote stewardship.
The same turbo blowers installed at our Indonesian and UK plants not only help reduce energy, but our reliance on freshwater too by nearly 80,000 m3 annually. Wastewater treatment upgrades allow us to recirculate water in place of freshwater. A pilot with the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) further enhances our stewardship practices, and at our Wisconsin Rapids mill, applying the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) methodology has led to a 378 m³/day reduction in effluent and $121,000 in annual cost savings.
As a leading global recycler, Sonoco operates more than 40 processing facilities in the U.S. and Europe, collecting 3 million tons of paper, plastic, metal and other materials each year.
We’re investing in systems and technologies to expand the types of packaging we can collect and process, and we’re working to increase the recycled content in our own packaging to reduce what ends up in landfills.
Sonoco’s Climate Transition Plan
For a deeper look into our emissions, energy, water and waste initiatives, download our full Corporate Sustainability Report, which includes our Climate Transition Plan.
First developed in 2024, this living document outlines our current progress and future vision to meet the well below 2°C-aligned emissions reductions targets — keeping us resilient and compliant in a changing world.