Sonoco supplies paper-based GreenCan to French sea salt company

Sonoco has supplied its GreenCan solution to Noirmoutier Sea Salt Cooperative’s range, replacing its plastic sprinkler container with a paper-based alternative. 

Salt requires specific packaging requirements as it is sensitive to humidity and moisture, explains Sonoco. 

Joël Piau, cooperative director at France-based Noirmoutier Sea Salt, says: “GreenCan combines high paper content with functional performance for demanding food applications. The packaging contains up to 98% paper and incorporates renewable and recycled fibers, while providing the barrier protection needed to preserve product freshness and quality.”

“For hygroscopic products such as sea salt, this balance between sustainability and protection is critical.”

According to Sonoco, the salt maker is extending its ethical philosophy by switching to a paper-based solution. However, the solution also needs to maintain the functional performance needed for salt. 

Piau adds: “In anticipation of the upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), we wanted to reduce plastic waste by adopting packaging that is more sustainable and genuinely circular. Sonoco’s GreenCan met our sustainability requirements and allowed us to implement this transition with a solution aligned with our values and our long-term vision.”

Fiber transition 

Sonoco notes the current paperization trend as companies switch from plastic to its GreenCan. 

Seàn Cairns, president of Sonoco Consumer Packaging EMEA/APAC, says: “Several forces are driving this shift. Consumers have a good perception of paper packaging, especially the younger generations of consumers [GenZ], associating paper packaging with environmental benefits, safety, and good value for money.”

Sononco explains that retailers and brands are also getting ready for the PPWR and are increasingly prioritizing circular packaging formats. 

“Advances in packaging design now enable paper formats to protect sensitive products while maintaining product integrity and shelf appeal,” says Cairns. 

He adds that the Noirmoutier Cooperative collaboration illustrates how heritage food brands can “rethink packaging as an integral part of their sustainability strategy — aligning product values, consumer expectations and future regulatory requirements.” 

For Noirmoutier Sea Salt, the transition reflects the company’s principles of responsibility and sustainability that have “defined it for generations.”

Last year, Sonoco Products Company announced it is uniting its metal packaging and rigid paper containers businesses under one structure based on two geographies: Consumer Packaging EMEA/APAC and the Americas.