Sonoco have received a glowing endorsement from the Association of European Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL) in support of the company’s initiative that allows for spiral-wound paperboard containers with steel bottoms to be recycled with other steel containers.

The company, which is a global packaging leader and is also the world’s largest producer of rigid-paperboard cans, were praised for introducing the practice onto European shores after it attained a measure of popularity in the US and Canada.

Sean Cairns, General Manager of Sonoco Rigid Paper and Closures in Europe, said the endorsement “should clear up any confusion among steel recyclers, customers and consumers on how to handle composite cans with metal ends in the recycling process.

“We have been lobbying across Europe for some time to recognise that a composite can with metal ends should be recycled with ‘traditional’ steel containers.

“Since the paper element of our containers is already manufactured from recycled material, the residual value in our cans is in the metal. This endorsement from a major trade organization such as APEAL supports our research and clearly establishes that composite cans with metal ends are an environmentally responsible option in packaging.”