Sonoco Targets 15 Percent Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Sonoco is targeting to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 15 percent from the company's manufacturing plants in the United States and Canada over the next five years.

Sonoco President, Chairman and CEO Harris Deloach, Jr. reports the voluntary emission reduction goal in a letter to stakeholders issued in the company’s 2008-2009 Sustainability Report, which was issued two weeks ago. The report is available at www.sonoco.com/sustainability and on Twitter at twitter.com/sonoco_products.

Establishing 2008 as its baseline year, Sonoco expects to voluntarily reduce its combined direct and indirect GHG emissions from its 121 U.S. and Canadian manufacturing plants by 15 percent by the end of 2013. To meet this emission reduction goal, the company expects to reduce energy usage at its uncoated recycled paperboard mills by maximizing energy efficiency efforts and by changing process steam production at some of its mills to renewable sources and other less carbon-intensive fuels.

“While our goals currently target our North American operations, where approximately 72 percent of our revenues are derived, we have established measurement tools for our international manufacturing operations and have begun compiling GHG emissions data in 2009 to establish a baseline from which we can develop other voluntary emission reduction goals in coming years,” DeLoach says.

Sonoco’s 18-page 2009 sustainability report is entitled “Eleven Decades of Sustainable Leadership” and reviews actions the company is taking in the areas of environmental stewardship, community service and economic performance.