Extrusion is the key to Sonoco's TruVue plastic can

Sonoco Products Co. is lifting the veil even more on the company's new TruVue plastic can that's aiming to take business from its steel can cousin.

TruVue, the company has now revealed, utilizes a five-layer wall that includes polypropylene on both the inside and outside of the can. Two layers of adhesive bond that PP to a center EVOH layer that acts as an oxygen barrier.

Sonoco is extruding the can the way pipe is made, through a continuous process. Metal tops and bottoms are then crimped on to the plastic walls and an induction process seals the two materials together.

So those are some of the manufacturing facts, and here's some of the project's insight:

“We don't expect to see plastic cans take over this entire market. But even a strong niche in certain categories would be significant. So that's why we're doing this work,” said Steve C. Gendreau, division vice president, sales and marketing, for Sonoco global plastics.

“How many plastic cans have you seen?” he said, over the years. “I know it's been a lot. Everybody's tried it.”

And while others have tried and failed, he wants people to know “that we truly have the tiger by the tail.”

Sonoco, initially, will produce the metal ends at its Henderson, Ky., plant while the plastic cans will be extruded and assembled in Hartsville, S.C., where the company is based.

When Gendreau looks the center of a grocery store, he sees a blur of similarly marketed packaged foods. What the TruVue can will do, he said, is help connect that area of the store to products typically found at the perimeter — including fruits, vegetables and other healthy and fresh food.

A see-through can, Sonoco believes, will help manufactures show off their wares and market their products in a whole new way.

Instead of using a label to represent what's inside of the can, consumers can simply look for themselves and decide.

“Seeing is truly believing. It really helps drive the perception that you are delivering something that provides freshness. It gives all kinds of clues around quality and trust, which is very important,” he said.

But make no mistake. Steel still is king when it comes to canned goods. And Sonoco is not out to change that. Just capturing a portion of the existing metal can market would be huge for the company.

“Thirty billion units is of interest to us,” Gendreau said. “We don't expect to see plastic cans to take over this entire market. But even a strong niche in certain categories could be significant.”

TruVue, thanks to its metal ends, can be filled and processed on the same canning lines that currently serve all-metal units. That's an important consideration for companies that have invested heavily in their existing canning assets.

“We're not talking about controlling the [canning] environment to get this can to work,” Gendreau said.

“Consumers want this. Transparency's important. They perceive freshness. They perceive that big industry is showing them that what they see is what they get. It is good for processors, because it runs on existing assets. And finally, we've demonstrated that it will deliver the product protection that our customers are looking for,” said Jeff Schuetz, staff vice president, global technology — consumer packaging, at Sonoco.

Creation of the plastic can with metal ends does bring up one big question: recyclability.

Sonoco said it has considered the question of recycling and looks to its composite can business in Canada as an example where multi-material containers can be recaptured.

Those composite containers can include paperboard, aluminum and plastic layers as well as steel ends. They are accepted in curbside recycling programs in many of the major metropolitan areas of Canada, Sonoco said.

“We have infrastructure issues in North America. We understand that end-of-life is something we need to be concerned. But we think there are some viable scenarios,” Schuetz said.

Metal tops, which are pulled off the plastic can, simply can be mixed with other metal recyclables. Plastic will burn off and act as fuel as part of the metal recycling process if the remainder of the can also is sent to steel recyclers.

Changing the size of Sonoco's new plastic can is easily achieved by altering the height of the container, allowing consumer packaged goods companies to adjust the amount of product in each container.

“Diameter is a little more difficult, but height is very, very simple,” Schuetz said.

Sonoco will sell TruVue at a higher price than traditional steel cans.

“We are definitely positioning the product as a premium to the metal can. We believe it warrants a premium. The beauty is that we don't have the processing disadvantages other plastic packages have had. Because of that, the indications are the premium will be paid,” Gendreau said.

Research shows consumers expect to pay more for the TruVue can. “They expect premium products to be the package. We're definitely not embarrassed to say that,” he said.

Sonoco looked at other plastic packaging processes, including blow molding and injection molding, before deciding on extrusion. Those working on the TruVue can helped develop the product by taking cues from the company's existing three-layer process to make caulk tubes.

“We expect to be commercial on the store shelf by mid-year. Obviously our client, because they don't want their competitors to know what they are doing, doesn't want us to reveal their name. But we're excited. It's going to be with major retailers,” Gendreau said.