Our commitments
Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA is committed to promoting equal opportunity for all its employees regardless of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or any other personal lifestyle choice.
We are also committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, with employees that represent the communities in which we operate. We believe that a diverse working culture and an inclusive mindset will enhance our ability to grow our business and attract, develop, and retain the best talent. We strive to be considered “a good place to work” by our current employees and future candidates. Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA endeavours to create an environment of mutual respect in all its activities and actions. We believe this is a prerequisite for a trust-based work culture, in which all employees can assume responsibility, fulfil their potential, perform at the highest level, and deliver optimal results.
Managers at Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA are trained in equal opportunity awareness. Additionally, in 2023 recruitment managers were provided unconscious bias training as part of the effort to increase gender and other diversity within the company. It is incumbent on managers to set an appropriate standard of behaviour, lead by example, and promote Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA’s aims and objectives with regard to equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion.
Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA has an official written Diversity and Inclusion Policy
The document outlines the above commitments as well as a statement on non-discrimination and nonharassment, the process for ensuring equal opportunity in recruitment and selection, guidelines for training and promotion, rules for disciplinary procedures and termination of employment, support for employees with disabilities, and the right to voice concerns of discrimination.
A diverse company with engaged employees
Sonoco is a multi-cultural and diverse company, as evidenced by our employees who represent multiple nationalities across Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA plants in 17 countries. We are proud to be recognised as an international organisation that values diversity and is an equal opportunity employer.
Composition of our workforce
Gender Diversity
We believe that gender-diverse teams are more successful. Diverse groups reflect a broader set of experiences, viewpoints and approaches to problemsolving, resulting in better outcomes. At Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA we strive to attract women employees to every position and area of the company. We are confident that our commitment to gender diversity will contribute to a change in the gender balance of our industry.
2023 Achievements Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA
At year-end 2023, women accounted for 22% of Sonoco’s employees. The percentage of managerial positions filled by women stands at 30%.
One of the measures that Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA tracks to ensure that it is meeting its commitment to inclusivity and equal opportunity is the difference in remuneration for men and women, known as the pay gap. We are proud that Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA business pay gap in 2023 stood at 4.4%, significantly lower than both the industry average and the OECD pay gap benchmark (currently at 12%).
More than 96% of Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA personnel are employed on permanent contracts, and 60%+ of our employees have worked at the company for more than 10 years. We attribute the lengthy tenure and loyalty of a majority of our employees to the culture of respect, equal opportunity, and potential for career advancement that we have succeeded in offering them. We believe that the workforce stability at Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA is reflective of job satisfaction, and leads to higher rates of productivity.
Age diversity
Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA has a 200-year legacy and a unique savoir faire in producing packaging that is recognised as high quality, innovative, and differentiating. We believe that employees who have accumulated decades of work experience in the industry and at our company provide a unique ability to continue this legacy by transmitting their expertise and passion to younger generations of workers.
Senior employees play a vital role in ensuring continuity of excellence at Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA , and we value their contribution. At the same time, our recruiting efforts aim at attracting the best young talent to our company who can continue the legacy we have built.
2023 achievements
In 2023, 55% of our employees were in the 46+ age bracket, and 20.5% were in the 56+ age group.
Action plan for the future
Our goal is for younger workers to receive training to ensure that they can thrive at Sonoco Metal Packaging EMEA. We believe that an important part of that training can be shared by employees who have a long tenure with the company. We strive to maintain an age distribution that allows our company to benefit from the experience of long-term employees.
