Graphic Packaging Holding Company Announces Second $250 Million Acquisition of International Paper’s Minority Partnership Interest

As a metal packaging manufacturer, we have always underscored the importance product appearance holds in brand perception and experience. When enjoying a beverage, the packaging is the first and last interaction consumers have with the brand—and the right graphic design can make a world of difference in making those connections successful. Our newest honor as the winner of the inaugural Colored by INX Can Design Contest, hosted by INX International, drives that point home. We are pleased to share that Crown Mexico’s Toluca-based team of designers and technical operators earned the title with a vibrant can design for INDIO, a dark beer brewed and sold in Mexico since 1893 and owned by Heineken. Our graphics experts worked with the brand to design the look of the 16oz Pueblos de México Unido Edición Muertos beer, a special-edition package promoting the country’s annual Dia de los Muertos holiday. Utilizing three colors from the INX Metal Color Catalog and INX Color Perfection library, the design features high-contrast neon and jewel tones that highlight the spirit of the celebration, which pays tribute to lost loved ones.

Consider millennials as the poster children for sustainability. They’re the ones toting reusable fabric bags at your local farmer’s market and driving hybrid vehicles around town. If you think about it, it’s no surprise: they learned from the Greatest Generation, who founded Earth Day and turned environmentalism into actionable steps to preserve the planet. As millennials grab the environmentalism baton, their spending habits are expected to match their commitment to the planet. For example, one survey found that 75 percent of millennials look for and spend money on sustainable food products versus just 34 percent of Baby Boomers. As millennials spend serious cash on sustainable products across all industries — from food to cleaning supplies to wellness products — companies are quickly introducing products that appeal to their desire to protect the environment.

“Our first quarter results demonstrated the strength of the new Sonoco as our global team achieved record top-line and adjusted EBITDA performance, growing 31% and 38%, respectively, while adjusted earnings per share rose 23% despite higher-than-expected interest expense, taxes and the negative impact of currency exchange rates,” said Howard Coker, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Consumer Packaging segment sales grew 83% and adjusted EBITDA jumped 127%. We completed the first phase of the integration of Eviosys as it has been rebranded Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA and we drove strong synergies across the global Metal Packaging enterprise. In addition to the benefit of the Eviosys acquisition, our Metal Packaging U.S. business achieved approximately 10% growth in organic volume/mix in the quarter. Our Industrial Paper Packaging segment improved adjusted EBITDA by 6% and EBITDA margin by approximately 200 basis points driven by year-over-year improvement in price/cost and productivity.” Coker continued, “After the close of the quarter, we successfully completed an important step in our transformation to a simpler, stronger and more sustainable company with the sale of our Thermoformed and Flexibles Packaging business. We have used after-tax proceeds of approximately $1.56 billion to significantly reduce debt and strengthen our balance sheet. Today, our net leverage ratio is below 4.0X Net Debt/Adjusted EBITDA and we remain on track to achieve our targeted net leverage of 3.0X to 3.3X by the end of 2026.”