Sonoco announced that the new uncoated recycled paperboard (URB) #10 machine is operational as part of its previously announced Project Horizon – the $125 million investment to transform its former corrugated medium machine in Hartsville, South Carolina, to a state-of-the-art URB operation.
Project Horizon was initiated, in part, to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of Sonoco’s 100-year-old Hartsville Mill Complex, at which the Company produces almost one-third of its U.S. and Canadian URB. The introduction of the new operation is projected to drive $30 million in annual cost savings by 2024 and will ensure the mill remains globally competitive.
This launch also marks Sonoco’s move to 100% recycled fibers in the Hartsville Mill Complex, which eliminated the manufacturing complex’s virgin pulp processing and chemical recovery operation. This conversion to 100% recycled fiber is expected to reduce electricity consumption, driving reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and total water use – advancing Sonoco’s long-term sustainability commitment.
As previously announced and planned, with the introduction of the high-capacity #10 URB machine, the less efficient #1 and # 9 cylinder machines will be permanently shut down by the end of October 2022.
Founded in 1899, Sonoco is a global provider of packaging products.
