Sonoco FRESH to Host Food, Packaging & Sustainability Summit, Sneak Peek Webinars and Sustainable Packaging Design Workshop

HARTSVILLE, S.C., July 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco FRESH (Food Research Excellence for Safety and Health), a Sonoco and Clemson University initiative to develop new technologies and new forms of packaging to optimize the fresh food lifecycle, is pleased to host a series of events focused on innovations in packaging.

With the theme of “Safe. Secure. Sustainable.,” the February 2021 Summit, hosted on the campus of Clemson University, will offer a unique opportunity to stimulate high impact discussions on how the issues associated with each part of the food value chain can be used as opportunities to drive business and benefit society. Attendees, industry and academic experts will participate in presentations, panels and roundtables to foster knowledge growth and solutions. Registration for the Summit will open in late summer 2020.

In preparation of the Summit, Sonoco FRESH will host sneak peek webinars September 22-23, 2020. The first sneak peek, September 22 at 11:00 am (ET), will feature a virtual coffee hour with Deloitte Consulting’s Kyle Tanger and Josh Mellinger, who will discuss current observations across the fresh food supply chain. The second sneak peek, September 23 at 4:00 pm (ET), will feature chef Joel Gamoran, food waste crusader and host of A&E’s hit series “Scraps,” as he demonstrates tasty ways to use food scraps in your cooking. To register for the sneak peek webinars, please visit .

In addition, the Sonoco Institute of Packaging Design and Graphics will host a virtual Sustainable Packaging Design Workshop September 23-24, a packaging primer that describes the role of designing for sustainability in a circular economy. The course, split into four one-hour sessions across two days, will take a holistic approach to packaging, starting with the basics of packaging materials, why packaging matters, drivers of sustainability, current end-of-life scenarios and the opportunities of a total life-cycle design process. Industry members wishing to attend the packaging workshop can take advantage of an early bird discount registration fee of $395 until August 1, at which point the price will increase to $495.

“In these unprecedented times, we are pleased to present these great opportunities for learning and discussion around innovations in packaging,” said Howard Coker, Sonoco President and CEO. “Last year’s Summit, hosted by Sonoco, included industry leaders and academics from across the U.S. and began the discussion around safety in packaging, food waste and sustainability. We look forward to continuing those discussions with this great line-up of events.”

More information on the Summit, sneak peek webinars and the workshop, including agenda and speaker updates, can be found at . Sponsorships are available.

About Sonoco FRESH

The mission of Sonoco FRESH, a Clemson University initiative, is to have a major impact on the safety, security and sustainability of food. This means looking holistically at the food life cycle and identifying opportunities to reimagine processes, technologies and behaviors. More information on the Sonoco FRESH initiative can be found at .

About Sonoco

Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE: SON) 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 $5.4 billion, the Company has 23,000 employees working in approximately 300 operations in 36 countries, serving some of the world’s best known brands in some 85 nations. Sonoco is committed to creating sustainable products, services and programs for our customers, employees and communities that support our corporate purpose of Better Packaging. Better Life. The Company ranked first in the Packaging sector on Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies for 2020 as well as Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies. For more information, visit .