Sonoco Confirmed as Maker of Mars' Resealable Cracker Cans

Sonoco has confirmed to Packaging Dive that it manufactures the resealable paper cans Mars Snacking introduced in September for select Cheez-It and Club cracker varieties. The launch anchors a busy stretch of packaging innovation that also includes Amcor's inverted pet food cup in China, R.R. Donnelley's all-paper mailer, Veritiv's GLP-1 cold-chain canister and Pregis's store drop-off recyclable sealant film.

Why is Mars switching crackers to cans?

Mars Snacking announced in September that certain Cheez-It and Club varieties now ship in resealable cans. The company said the format keeps "every cracker stays crunchy from the first bite to the last" and offers greater portability than its other pack formats.

"By bringing these popular Cheez-It and Club crackers to this grab-and-go format, we're giving people a simple way to enjoy their favorites anywhere, anytime," said Nicole Sorensen, vice president of marketing for crackers at Mars Snacking, in a news release.

The move builds on a longer packaging history. Three years ago, before the cracker brands joined Mars Snacking's portfolio, then-parent company Kellanova announced it had optimized packaging for these products to reduce material weight.

Sonoco, meanwhile, has invested heavily in paper cans. In 2023 it partnered with Kellanova on rigid paper-bottom cans for Pringles chips and has since reported strong demand. Key moves include:

• A 2025 commitment to expand four U.S. paper can manufacturing sites
• A large paper can plant opened this year in Thailand, attached to a Pringles factory, with capacity to become the world's largest paper can production facility
• A new paper can line added at its West Chicago, Illinois, plant

What problem does Amcor's inverted cup solve?

Amcor worked with pet food brand Ge Wu An on what it calls the "first commercial deployment of an inverted-cup packaging format in China." The design targets a familiar frustration with wet pet food in traditional cans: bits of food left behind in the container.

The cup's bottom seal lets consumers "simply peel, invert, tear and lift to release the entire meal cleanly into a bowl in one piece without scraping or scooping," according to a news release. The polypropylene cup body has top lidding film and bottom seal film.

Unlike traditional metal pet food cans, the format has no sharp edges or pull rings that can break. It also weighs less than traditional aluminum cans, Amcor said.

How does RRD's mailer close without plastic?

R.R. Donnelley debuted the flat, unpadded VersaPac FastTrack mailer with a paper-based peel-and-seal tear strip the company positions as an alternative to conventional plastic closures. RRD says the feature enhances curbside recyclability. The mailer features "instant-bond adhesive for high-speed fulfillment," according to a news release.

RRD launched the product as demand for mailers booms. "The market for paper mailers has seen explosive growth in recent years, driven by both regulatory pressure and a clear consumer preference for eco-friendly shipping," said Craig Lombardi, vice president of business development for integrated packaging.

Why is GLP-1 demand reshaping cold chain packaging?

Veritiv introduced TempSafe RxShield, a compact cold-chain packaging solution intended for pharmaceuticals such as GLP-1 drugs. The metal canister has a foam buffer and screw-on lid. It maintains refrigerated temperatures for up to 36 hours and weighs about 240 grams — a smaller dimensional weight than competing options that helps reduce shipping costs, according to a news release.

Veritiv said the design also supports a simplified packout process that can boost fulfillment efficiency.

Can metallized PE match legacy barrier films?

Pregis launched a metallized polyethylene sealant film for food applications that typically use metallized oriented polypropylene or metallized PET, such as coffee, pet food and snacks. The monomaterial is prequalified as store drop-off recyclable through the How2Recycle program, and Pregis says it delivers barrier performance and processability comparable to legacy materials.

"Our job was to deliver a recycle-ready answer that performed the same way on [converting] equipment," said Bob Gargione, president of performance flexibles, in the release.

With Sonoco adding paper can capacity on three continents and Pregis, RRD and Amcor each pushing recyclability or format changes, packaging suppliers are betting that sustainability claims and consumer convenience will keep driving format switches across food, pet and pharma categories.