Sonoco's EcoTect(R) Uncoated Recycled Board (URB) First to be Certified to Hewlett-Packard Indigo Specifications

HARTSVILLE, S.C., Feb. 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco (NYSE:SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies and a leader in innovative packaging solutions, announced today that its EcoTect^® premium grade of uncoated recycled board (URB), specifically manufactured for superior printability, has become the first URB to be certified by the Rochester Institute of Technology to Hewlett-Packard (HP) Indigo print platform specifications.

This paper innovation is revolutionary for the printing industry where customized, short runs of folding carton products and packaging - an option that was not available before now - can be created with Sonoco EcoTect on the HP Indigo 5500, 7x00, and 10000 digital press platforms.

"Printers with HP Indigo capabilities now have a certified uncoated recycled board option that is sustainable and functional as a result of this innovation," said Bill Hagen, Sonoco's senior engineer/scientist. "Sonoco is committed to innovation in all areas of the company. When the market need was discovered, our team jumped on the opportunity. It took a little more than a year for us to create it, test it and achieve HP Indigo certification through the Rochester Institute of Technology. It is revolutionary and will allow for much more intricate, higher defined, less expensive, customized printing on a 100% recycled paperboard for folding carton applications."

EcoTect products are produced in Sonoco's Trent Valley, Ontario, Canada, and Hutchinson, Kan., facilities. EcoTect for Indigo press applications is exclusively offered through GPA Specialty Substrates, McCook, Ill. For more information on EcoTect, contact Bill Sommer, account manager, EcoTect, at (920)-540-5409.

About Sonoco:

Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of a variety of consumer packaging, industrial products, protective packaging, and displays and packaging supply chain services. With annualized net sales of approximately $5 billion, the Company has 20,800 employees working in more than 330 operations in 34 countries, serving some of the world's best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is a proud member of the 2014/2015 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.

CONTACT: Brett Turner
         +843-383-7794
         [email protected]