DECEMBER 7, 2022

Sustainable Orion Rental Packaging Meets Growth for Pharmaceutical Supply Chains in the UK

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILL., U.S. – Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco (NYSE:SON), one of the largest global providers of temperature assurance cold chain packaging, is expanding its Orion Rental packaging program in the United Kingdom as the need for sustainable packaging grows for temperature sensitive medicinal products.

The UK has been focused on sustainability for some time, ranked 8^th in the Global Sustainability Index for the past two years. King Charles continues to advocate for the country’s initiatives to meet aggressive climate goals.

The Orion reusable rental packaging program offers healthcare companies in the UK an environmentally friendly, local option to transport temperature-critical healthcare products including a growing number of biologics, vaccines and clinical supplies.

The London Orion rental station will perform reclamation, cleaning, and refurbishment processes necessary to return Orion boxes back into circulation in ‘like new’ quality condition, suitable for healthcare products. The temperature assurance boxes are then preconditioned and delivered Just-in-Time (JIT) to the pharmaceutical company for them to ship products to their customers, typically clinical sites, healthcare/distribution facilities, and now directly to patients.

Sonoco ThermoSafe’s UK has long-standing relationships with 3^rd party logistics providers and freight forwarders in the UK that have driven the need for regional access to reusable packaging.  The UK is well-known for having a large integrator network and several smaller couriers throughout the UK that require reliable solutions for extra thermal protection during road transport.

“We’re excited to meet our local and regional customer’s requests for more sustainable packaging solutions in the UK and Europe. The Orion rental program is now available in the domestic market and the open station can scale to meet anticipated demand”, says Gary Morgan, General Manager, Sonoco ThermoSafe Europe.  

“Additionally, this station will serve as a global return location for receiving rental boxes shipped by customers from other countries.  Rental customers will benefit by having more return options in the network as we continue to expand to meet customer’s needs.”, says Andrew Heholt, Director of Business Development and Orion Product Manager.

The London Orion rental station is situated at Sonoco ThermoSafe’s Tring facility in Hertfordshire. This location has been established since 1975, specializing in the design, test, manufacture and qualification of temperature-controlled packaging solutions, used by the pharmaceutical and biotech industries globally. Tring is an ideal location close to pharmaceutical company clusters and close to Heathrow, a pharma cargo gateway bridging the UK to Europe and North America.

Learn more about the Orion Rental Program by visiting www.thermosafe.com/orion-r   The Orion program is currently available in the United States (coast to coast) and western Europe.

About Sonoco ThermoSafe
Sonoco ThermoSafe, a unit of Sonoco (NYSE:SON), is one of the largest global providers of temperature assurance packaging for the safe and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals, biologics, vaccines and other temperature-sensitive products. Sonoco ThermoSafe shipping solutions mitigate risk for customers and ensure product efficacy throughout the extremes of a supply chain. With operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia, Sonoco ThermoSafe has a vast product offering featuring industry-leading technology that encompasses refrigerated, frozen or controlled room temperature applications. In addition, Sonoco ThermoSafe’s ISC Labs^® deliver individualized design and testing services and innovative packaging solutions along with qualification and validation services to meet all regulatory requirements. More information can be found at www.thermosafe.com.

About Sonoco
Founded in 1899, Sonoco (NYSE:SON) is a global provider of consumer, industrial, healthcare and protective packaging. With net sales of approximately $5.6 billion in 2021, the Company has approximately 22,000 employees working in more than 300 operations in 32 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 2022 as well as being included in Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies for the fourth-consecutive year. For more information on the Company, visit our website at www.sonoco.com.