Packaging firm Sonoco is helping coffee company Melitta USA move from traditional metal cans to high-performance composite cans made from recycled and recyclable content.
Melitta, which has been roasting coffee at its location in Cherry Hill, N.J., for over 40 years, has converted its 603- and 401-volume coffee cans to Sonoco’s lighter weight paperboard composite container.
Sonoco’s rigid paperboard containers weigh less than metal cans, making them less expensive to ship, and they perform as well as metal canisters in abuse resistance and shelf life, Sonoco says.
The can is spiral-wound from 100-percent recycled paperboard and includes a high-barrier liner that locks out moisture and locks in product aroma and taste. Because there are no ribs on the new can, the smooth surface provides a superior printing surface for branding, Sonoco says.
Melitta and Sonoco have been collaborating for two years on the transition.In April, Sonoco created a jar for Kraft peanut brand Planters that weighs 84 percent less than its predecessor. The packaging replaces Planters’ 16 oz. and 20 oz. glass peanut jars. It is made of 100 percent recyclable, BPA-free plastic and requires 25 percent fewer trucks for transportation than the old jars, Planters says.
The Sonoco collaboration formed part of the snack foods company’s “Naturally Remarkable” campaign, launched in 2011 to raise awareness of sustainable farming practices.
In December last year, the packaging company designed a rigid, paper-based can that is capable of carrying liquid and results in a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse emissions during production over its metal predecessor. The container was designed specifically for a supplier of vehicle fluids looking to replace its costly metal container.
