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In the historically male-dominated packaging industry, Sonoco actively promotes an environment for women to shine and succeed at all levels. Elizabeth Rhue’s career path is a great example of this. As VP and General Manager—Rigid Paper Containers, Sonoco North America, she highlights her experience as a woman working in the packaging sector…

Elizabeth Rhue set her sights on working in the packaging industry early, when she attended a summer camp at Clemson University. While there, she got to tour the packaging department, including the packaging lab sponsored by Sonoco.

She recalls: "I thought it was fascinating. The whole concept that there is this large army of people who work in the packaging sector — from procurement, to R&D, to operations."

This initial curiosity led her to pursue an undergraduate degree in Packaging Science at the very same university (Clemson) and, after this, she started working at Sonoco in an R&D position.

The focus of Elizabeth’s time in R&D, which she was in for around 12 years with increasing scope and responsibility, was packaging material development and design. In this position, she was involved with improving packaging functionality in a way that was resourceful, cost-effective, and sustainable. She says: "We would explore material substitutions to drive out cost, or to improve the functionality of our packaging."

Making a difference

Even at this early stage in her career, Rhue says that she found it rewarding — and a key part of this sense of reward came from her seeing her team’s creations on stores’ shelves. She recalls: "For me, it’s satisfying to see this, especially when we’ve developed new products. Sometimes, we make subtle changes to the packaging, which goes unnoticed by consumers, but I still find it exciting."

Rhue then strategically diversified her experience by pivoting to a commercial role in Sonoco's recycling business. This change enabled her to shift her focus from the "front end of packaging" to "what happens to that packaging when it's discarded," she explains. She then served a four-year tenure as VP of Environmental, Sustainability, & Technical Services, and this was followed by her current role: VP and General Manager—Rigid Paper Containers (RPC).

During her time as the leader of sustainability for Sonoco globally, Elizabeth learned that the best sustainable solutions are those that are both environmentally and financially sustainable. She explains: "All our major sustainability initiatives delivered returns that were comparable to other capital projects, so we were not having to make a choice between profits and planet." Now, as the leader of the RPC NA business, Elizabeth has been able to leverage her background in sustainability to develop long-term strategies for the business that ensure longevity, despite the rapidly changing customer and regulatory landscape driven by sustainability.

The growing importance of sustainability, and the world’s collective efforts to reduce environmental impact, has made Elizabeth’s work even more impactful, and she values being involved in the packaging sector at such a pivotal time. For example, she appreciates being able to make a difference in the world through the development of modern, innovative, recyclable packaging—and being able to further increase awareness about recycling.

Despite the packaging and manufacturing industries being traditionally male-dominated, Rhue highlights that she’s had a very positive experience at Sonoco, explaining: "Luckily, the culture at Sonoco has been such that I feel like being a woman hasn’t posed any major challenges for me." She credits the company for creating an environment where voices are heard, regardless of team members’ genders or backgrounds.

Company initiatives

Rhue is committed to sharing her knowledge with the next generation of women (and men) in packaging. She currently mentors a handful of team members that are early on in their packaging careers, along with serving as the Executive Sponsor of the ‘Black Employees@Sonoco’ Employee Resource Group (ERG) and says that this personal investment of her time reflects the company’s wider values of providing a supportive environment for all employees.

Sonoco does, however, actively support its female employees through various initiatives, such as ‘Women@Sonoco’—one of its Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). This group provides space for women at the company to connect, discuss workplace challenges, and offer mutual support.

The group runs regular virtual events for its employees and often features panels of female leaders who share tips on navigating the workplace, managing work-life balance, and more. These sessions are open to all women at all levels within in the company—and men are welcome to attend, too.

The company also engages with the wider community to highlight what careers in packaging may look like to young talent. For example, it brings students to its R&D facilities to "provide more exposure, in general, to young people about what it’s like to work in the packaging industry."

Beyond Sonoco

Rhue’s influence extends beyond Sonoco. She serves on the Food Nutrition and Packaging Science Advisory Board at Clemson University, where packaging leaders advise on the college's packaging program. She also used to be involved with the Fresh Advisory Board at Clemson University, which focuses on sustainability across the food chain. Further still, Elizabeth was officially listed on Waste360’s ‘40 Under 40 awards list’ in 2023. The list highlights the next generation of leaders in waste, recycling and organics who are shaping the future of the industry.

Through the career of Elizabeth Rhue, initiatives like ‘Women@ Sonoco’, and a strong mentorship culture, Sonoco is demonstrating its commitment to supporting female talent and leadership, proving that the packaging industry can offer rewarding and inclusive career paths for women.

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