Sonoco Recognized by Prestigious Design Competition for Protective Packaging Created with HP

Sonoco (NYSE: SON), a global packaging leader, today announced it has been recognized in the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) competition for its work in co-developing a new protective package design with HP for its large LaserJet office printers. Sonoco received the award jointly with HP after being selected from more than 1,500 entries to IDEA, the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging strategy, research and concepts.

This newly designed protective packaging for many of the large HP LaserJet office printers helps to protect each unit by using top and bottom corrugated trays, Sonoco’s proprietary Sonopost® cornerposts for advanced vertical compression and impact performance, and top and bottom foam pads, all shrink wrapped together to form a unique and highly effective package. For larger, heavier units, the customers’ needs were kept in mind by providing ramps for unloading once the unit arrives at its location.

Developed as part of HP’s packaging transformation program, these new package designs greatly reduce the amount of materials needed. In one pack example, the foam volume was reduced by more than 50 percent, the corrugated weight was reduced by more than 69 percent, and the overall packaging volume was reduced by 52 percent. In addition, most of the packaging components are made using recycled paper, making them readily recyclable in many areas.

Jim Lowry, director of new business development for Sonoco’s Protective Packaging group, said Sonoco worked with HP for two years to develop these new packaging concepts.

"Our goal in working with HP was to help them adapt packaging concepts Sonoco developed for the white appliance industry to work on more fragile electronic equipment. Together, we achieved a better package without sacrificing performance,” he explained. "The end result is a durable packaging system that uses less material and yet passes all of HP’s testing requirements as well as its current traditional package design. Also, from a sustainability perspective, less material means less waste in the end, lower freight emissions and reduced landfill space.”

Sonoco and HP were recognized in the packaging and graphics category of the competition, which is conducted and managed by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Winning entries are announced each year on BusinessWeek.com. IDSA has been honoring design excellence via the IDEA Awards since 1980. IDEA was formerly known as the Industrial Design Excellence Awards. The name changed in 2007 to emphasize the international reach and influence of the competition.

About IDEA, Industrial Designers and IDSA

The IDEA program fosters business and public understanding about the impact of industrial design excellence on the quality of life and the economy.

Industrial designers determine the form, use features and interaction qualities of manufactured products, packaging and digital media systems. They study people at work, at home and in motion to create satisfying experiences with products from the kitchen and the office to the hospital and the warehouse, shaping these to fit their customers and to make effective use of industrial processes. In this way, industrial designers have a quiet but profound presence in almost everything people encounter during the day.

IDSA is the voice of industrial design, committed to advancing the profession through education, information, community and advocacy.

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a $4.1 billion global manufacturer of industrial and consumer products and provider of packaging services, with about 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/.