SONOCO PRODUCTS CO (SON) Risk Factors

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

We are subject to risks and uncertainties that could adversely affect our business, reputation, consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, ability to pay dividends, and the trading price of our securities. These factors could also cause our actual results to materially differ from the results contemplated by forward-looking statements we make in this report, in our other filings with the SEC, and in our public announcements. You should consider the risk factors described below, as well as other factors described elsewhere in this report and in our other filings with the SEC, in evaluating us, our business, and any investment in our securities. Although these are the most significant risk factors of which we are currently aware, they are not the only risk factors to which we are subject. Additional risk factors not currently known to us, or that we currently deem immaterial, could also adversely affect our business operations and financial results.

Risks Related to the Domestic and Global Economies and to Doing Business Globally

Our international operations subject us to various risks that could adversely affect our business operations and financial results.

We have operations throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia, with approximately 265 owned and leased facilities in 37 countries as of December 31, 2025. In 2025, approximately 52% of consolidated sales came from operations outside of the United States, reflecting the significant expansion of our international operations with the December 2024 acquisition of Eviosys. Management of global operations is extremely complex, and operations in foreign countries are subject to local statutory and regulatory requirements, differing legal environments, and other additional risks that may not exist, or be as significant, in the United States. These additional risks, which can vary substantially by country and by region, can adversely affect our business operations and financial results, and include, without limitation:

•foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations and foreign currency exchange controls;

•hyperinflation and currency devaluation;

•possible limitations on conversion of foreign currencies into dollars, or payment of dividends and other payments by non-U.S. subsidiaries;

•tariffs, non-tariff barriers, duties, taxes, government royalties, including the imposition or increase of withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by non-U.S. subsidiaries, or other restrictions on foreign trade or changes in restrictions on trade between the United States and the countries where Sonoco’s products are manufactured or sold;

•the risk that our interpretation of our rights and responsibilities under local statutory and regulatory rules for sales taxes, VAT and similar taxes, statutory accounting requirements, licenses and permits, etc. may prove to be incorrect or unsupportable, resulting in fines, penalties, or other liabilities related to non-compliance, damage to our reputation, unanticipated operational restrictions or other consequences as a result of our actions, or inaction, taken to perform our responsibilities or protect our rights;

•changes in tax laws, or the interpretation of such laws, affecting taxable income, tax deductions, or other attributes relating to our non-U.S. earnings or operations;

•inconsistent product regulation or policy changes by foreign agencies or governments;

•difficulties in enforcement of contractual obligations and intellectual property rights;

•high social benefit costs for labor, including more expansive rights of foreign unions and works councils, and costs associated with restructuring activities;

•national and regional labor strikes;

•changes in immigration and labor laws that may adversely impact our access to technical and professional talent;

•difficulties in staffing and managing international operations;

•geographic, language, and cultural differences between personnel in different areas of the world;

•differences in local business practices;

•foreign governments’ restrictive trade policies, customs, import/export and other trade compliance regulations;

•changes to multilateral conventions, treaties, tariffs and trade measures or other arrangements between or among sovereign nations;

•compliance with and changes in applicable foreign laws and regulations, including with respect to data privacy, AI, consumer protection, environmental and antitrust matters;

•compliance with U.S. laws, including those affecting trade and foreign investment (including economic sanctions compliance) and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act;

•loss or non-renewal of treaties between foreign governments and the United States;

•product boycotts, including with respect to products of our multi-national customers;

•increased costs of maintaining international manufacturing facilities and undertaking international marketing programs;

•supply chain and distribution challenges, including fluctuations in shipping costs, limitations on shipping and receiving capacity, and other supply chain and distribution disruptions;

•difficulty in collecting international accounts receivable and potentially longer payment cycles;

•the potential for nationalization or expropriation of our enterprises or facilities without appropriate compensation; and

•political, social, legal and economic instability, civil unrest, war, expansion of same and other geopolitical tensions (such as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and uncertainty in the Middle East, the potential escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan, and the potential impact of recent events in Venezuela on Latin America), catastrophic events, acts of terrorism, and health emergencies or widespread outbreaks of infectious diseases.

As discussed further elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other filings with the SEC, some of these risks have already affected us.

9 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

Global economic conditions and disruptions in the credit markets could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We have extensive international operations and are dependent on customers and suppliers that operate in local economies around the world. In addition, we access global credit markets as part of our capital allocation strategy. Adverse global macroeconomic conditions could adversely impact our ability to access credit, or the price at which funding could be obtained. Likewise, uncertainty about or a decline in global or regional economic conditions has in the past and could in the future have a significant impact on the financial stability of our suppliers and customers, and has and can in the future adversely impact demand for our products. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced adverse effects on customer stability and demand for our products. Potential effects on us include financial instability, inability to obtain credit to finance operations, and insolvency.

We are subject to governmental export and import control laws, economic sanctions, anti-corruption laws and other regulations in certain jurisdictions where we do business that could subject us to liability or impair our ability to compete in these markets.

Certain products are subject to export control laws and regulations and may be exported only with an export license or through an applicable export license exception. If we fail to comply with export licensing, customs regulations, economic sanctions or other laws, we could be subject to substantial civil or criminal fines and penalties, including economic sanctions against us, disgorgement of profits, injunctions, incarceration for responsible employees and managers, the possible loss of export or import privileges, lawsuits and other remedial measures, and reputational harm. In addition, if our distributors fail to obtain appropriate import, export or re-export licenses or permits, we may also be materially and adversely affected through reputational harm and penalties. Obtaining the necessary import, export, and re-export licenses for a particular sale may be time-consuming and expensive and could result in the delay or loss of sales opportunities.

Furthermore, export control laws and economic sanctions may prohibit the shipment of certain products to, and related transactions involving, embargoed or otherwise sanctioned countries, governments and persons, and may prohibit us from engaging in certain activities in connection with such countries, governments, and persons. Despite our efforts to ensure compliance with applicable law, we cannot guarantee that a violation of export control laws or economic sanctions will not occur. A prohibited shipment, transaction, or activity could have adverse consequences, including government investigations, inquiries, or subpoenas, penalties, fines, civil and criminal sanctions, and reputational harm. Any change in export or import regulations, economic sanctions or related legislation, shift in the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, governments, persons, activities, or technologies targeted by such regulations, could decrease our ability to export or sell our products internationally. Any limitation on our ability to export or sell our products could adversely affect our business. For example, in 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of economic sanctions against Russia by the United States and other countries, we finalized the exit from our operations in Russia, which consisted of two small manufacturing operations, and incurred asset impairment charges as a result of our exit. We also ceased sourcing from Russian suppliers. As part of the Eviosys acquisition in December 2024, we acquired certain existing operations in Russia. These operations carry a heightened risk from an export controls and sanctions perspective, including export control restrictions and restrictions concerning transactions involving sanctioned persons and the provision of certain services and investments. These export controls and sanctions may impair our ability to leverage these Russian operations. We expect that continuing to operate in Russia in compliance with applicable U.S., EU, UK, and other laws and regulations will require us to expend substantial resources and devote significant management attention. Any failure to comply with applicable requirements could expose us to significant penalties, expenses incurred relating to government investigations, inquiries, or subpoenas, and reputational harm. Although we have policies and procedures in place to promote compliance with such laws, there can be no assurance that they will be followed at all times or effectively detect and prevent all violations of export control laws and economic sanctions in connection with these operations in Russia. U.S., EU, UK, and other economic sanctions, export controls and related laws and regulations may increase and make continuing such Russia operations impracticable or impossible. Further, the Russian government has recently seized the assets of several Western companies, including metal can manufacturers, placing them under state control, or “temporary administration,” and Russia or another country could take similar actions in the future. Our operations in Russia accounted for approximately 1% of the Company’s net sales in 2025 and approximately 0.5% of the Company’s total assets at December 31, 2025.

Export control laws and economic sanctions may also have an indirect adverse effect on our business. For example, some of our customers previously exported their products to Russia, and any reduction in demand for such customers’ products could in turn reduce demand for our products. Economic sanctions against Russia have also contributed to adverse changes in the global price and availability of natural gas, raw materials and finished goods, which could reduce our sales and earnings or otherwise have an adverse effect on our operations. Any future additional export controls or sanctions imposed by the US, the UK, the EU, or other countries could further exacerbate these effects.

Further, our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws and sanctions regulations concerning both private and public-sector corruption in various jurisdictions where we do business. The nature of our operations may bring us, our employees and third parties acting on our behalf into contact with government officials, including employees of state-owned business enterprises and others who may be considered government officials under applicable anti-corruption laws. Although we have policies and procedures in place to promote compliance with such laws, there can be no assurance that they will be followed at all times or effectively detect and prevent all violations of applicable laws by our employees, consultants, third parties or others for which we could be held responsible.

Changes in United States trade policies and global regulations, as well as the overall uncertainty surrounding international trade relations, could materially and adversely affect our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

We continue to face uncertainty with respect to trade relations between the United States and many of its trading partners. For example, during 2025, the U.S. government announced, delayed, re-imposed and revised a series of broad-based, as well as country-, bloc- and sector-specific, tariffs on imports, as well as other trade policy changes. In August 2025, the U.S. government set firmly established reciprocal tariff rates for various countries that were, for the most part, incremental increases over the previously established baseline rate of 10%. Some countries announced retaliatory actions or plans for retaliatory actions, which gave rise to further escalations of trade measures by the United States and impacted countries. Such tariffs and other trade restrictions, and uncertainty related thereto, have had, and may in the future have, an adverse direct effect on our costs of products sold and margins and have had, and may in the future have, an adverse indirect effect due to reduced demand for our products or other impacts to our customers, suppliers or other business partners. On February 20, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated certain of the tariffs implemented by the U.S. government. This ruling and any future changes in tariffs or other trade policies may result in additional changes and have further direct and indirect adverse effects on our consolidated financial

10 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

condition and results of operations. The Company is continuing to monitor and evaluate the full impact of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling and changing trade policies and regulations.

In addition, in response to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”), other countries may change their own trade policies, including the imposition of additional tariffs and quotas, which could also adversely affect our business outside the United States. If further tariffs are imposed on a broader range of imports, further retaliatory trade measures are taken by countries in response to tariffs, or efforts are made to withdraw from or substantially modify such agreements, then we may be required to raise our prices or incur additional expenses, which may result in the loss of customers and harm our sales, earnings, business, financial condition, and results of operations. Furthermore, the duty preferential treatment for goods that qualify for the USMCA was temporarily exempted from the United States 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods, and although Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on goods coming from the United States that did not originally exempt USMCA-qualified goods, Canada lifted many of its retaliatory tariffs in September 2025, apart from those on steel, aluminum, and autos. Some of the enumerated goods subject to these tariffs include products and materials shipped to Sonoco’s plants in Canada, and the Company may be unable to claim end-use exemptions to mitigate the impact of such tariffs. These or any future retaliatory measures, the removal of the exemption by the United States, or other changes to the USMCA or other trade arrangements, could impact our operations by increasing the cost of imported raw materials and finished goods from Canada and Mexico.

Tariff increases have in the past had, and we expect that such measures and any additional measures will in the future have, an adverse effect on our costs of products sold and margins, including by increasing the cost of imported raw materials, which costs we may be unable to pass on to our customers without affecting demand, and potentially disrupting supply chains, causing delays and logistical challenges. In order to mitigate the impact of these trade-related increases on our costs of products sold, we have increased, and may further increase in the future, prices in certain markets and, over the longer term, make changes in our supply chain and potentially, our global manufacturing strategy. For example, in 2025, the U.S. government announced the expansion of Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States (“Section 232 Tariffs”). As a result, imported steel and aluminum originating from most foreign countries is currently subject to a 50% duty. A portion of the steel and aluminum we purchase for our metal packaging and industrial paper packaging businesses is sourced from outside the United States, and although we generally negotiate agreements to share tariff costs with brokers from which we purchase certain raw materials and have the contractual ability to pass on cost increases due to tariffs to our customers, we may be unable to maintain such cost sharing and cost pass-on practices, and any price increases may cause our customers to find alternative suppliers and result in reduced demand for our products. If we are unable to successfully reduce or pass on these costs through price increases, adjust our supply chain without incurring significant costs, or locate alternative suppliers for raw materials or finished goods at acceptable costs or in a timely manner, our net sales, costs, and margins could be adversely affected.

Higher tariffs also may increase the cost of purchasing and maintaining manufacturing equipment used in our operations. We believe the impact of higher tariffs on purchases of manufacturing equipment, while modest to our results of operations, will result in higher cash costs of such items and may therefore reduce both the number of capital projects we are able to undertake and the return on investment on such capital projects. Further, the Company may incur higher costs due to tariffs on maintenance and repair spending. If we are unable to effectively manage the impact of higher tariffs on our capital expenditures and repairs and maintenance spending through price pass-through mechanisms or locating lower-cost alternative suppliers, our results of operations, including our cash flows, could be materially and adversely affected.

Further, the uncertainty surrounding global trade policy and its broader economic impacts requires significant management attention and makes it difficult to make long-term strategic decisions regarding the best way to respond to these pressures. Such uncertainty has in the past increased, and may in the future increase the volatility of currency exchange rates. In addition, even if we are able to mitigate the direct impacts to our operations from changes in U.S. and foreign trade policy, our sales volumes have been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by reduced sales of or demand for end products incorporating our packaging products or changes in consumer behavior, whether resulting from increased costs of such products attributable to increased tariffs or other trade barriers or the broader economic impact of such measures, such as increased inflation, decreased consumer spending or other adverse macroeconomic trends.

Our inability to effectively manage the adverse impacts of changing U.S. and foreign trade policies could materially and adversely impact our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Currency exchange rate fluctuations may adversely affect our results of operations and shareholders’ equity.

Fluctuations in currency exchange rates can cause, and have in the past caused, translation, transaction and other losses that can unpredictably and adversely affect our consolidated results of operations. Our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. However, as a result of operating globally, a portion of our consolidated net sales, costs, assets, and liabilities are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. In our consolidated financial statements, we translate the local currency financial results of our foreign operations into U.S. dollars based on their respective exchange rates. Depending on the direction, changes in those rates will either increase or decrease net sales, costs, net income, and other balances reported in U.S. dollars. Our acquisition of Eviosys increased our exposure to the effects of such changes. Although we monitor our exposures and, from time to time, may use forward currency contracts to hedge certain forecasted foreign currency transactions or foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities, our hedging activities do not completely insulate us from the effects of foreign currency fluctuations and also expose us to counterparty risk of nonperformance.

11 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

Changes in domestic and global economic conditions may have an adverse impact on our business operations and financial results.

Because of the nature of our products and services, general economic downturns in the United States and globally can adversely affect our business operations and financial results. Current global economic challenges, including inflationary pressures, supply chain disruptions, changing tariffs and other trade restrictions, currency fluctuations, geopolitical uncertainty, military conflicts, increased interest rates and recession risks, as well as the rising debt levels of the United States and other countries, are likely to continue to put pressure on the economy, and on us. For example, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a total of 525 basis points during 2022 and 2023 in order to combat inflation. Although the Federal Reserve subsequently lowered rates by a total of 175 basis points during 2024 and 2025, relatively high interest rates may persist and may, among other things, reduce the availability and increase the costs of obtaining new variable rate debt and refinancing existing indebtedness, and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, such increases in rates put additional pressure on consumers and the economy in general, which can in turn lead, and has in recent periods led, to reduced consumption of products incorporating our packaging. Bank failures or issues in the broader U.S. or global financial systems may have an impact on the broader capital markets and, in turn, our ability to access those markets. As evidenced in recent years, changes in fiscal and monetary policies and tightening of credit availability and financial difficulties, leading to declines in consumer and business confidence and spending, may adversely affect us, or our customers, suppliers, and distributors. When such conditions exist, customers may delay, decrease or cancel purchases from us, and may also delay payment or fail to pay us altogether. Suppliers may have difficulty filling our orders and distributors may have difficulty getting our products to market, which may affect our ability to meet customer demands, and result in loss of business. Weakened global economic conditions may also result in unfavorable changes in our product price/mix and lower profit margins. All of these factors may have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.

Risks Related to Manufacturing Operations

Raw materials, energy and other price increases or shortages may impact our results of operations.

As a manufacturer, our sales and profitability are dependent on the availability and cost of raw materials, labor, and other inputs. Most of the raw materials we use are purchased from third parties. Principal examples are recovered paper, paperboard, steel, aluminum and plastic resins. Prices and availability of these raw materials are subject to substantial fluctuations that are beyond our control due to factors such as changing economic conditions, inflation, currency and commodity price fluctuations, tariffs, resource availability, transportation costs, weather conditions and natural disasters, war, political unrest and instability (such as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and uncertainty in the Middle East, the potential escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan, and the potential impact of recent events in Venezuela on Latin America), and other factors impacting supply and demand pressures. Increases in costs can have an adverse effect on our business and financial results. Our performance depends, in part, on our ability to pass on cost increases to our customers by raising selling prices and to offset the impact by improving productivity. Although many of our long-term contracts and non-contractual pricing arrangements with customers permit limited price adjustments to reflect increased raw material costs, such adjustments may not occur quickly enough, or be sufficient to prevent a material and adverse effect on net income and cash flow. Furthermore, we may not be able to improve productivity or realize sufficient savings from our cost reduction initiatives to offset the impact of increased costs.

In addition, some of our manufacturing operations require the use of substantial amounts of electricity and natural gas, which may be subject to significant price increases as the result of changes in overall supply and demand and the impacts of legislation and regulatory action. In addition, we operate manufacturing sites throughout Europe and, in many instances, continued normal operations at those sites depend on the availability of natural gas and other inputs. Any current and future government sanctions or an escalation or widening of the Russia-Ukraine conflict could contribute to further increased volatility of energy and commodity prices, cause further supply chain disruptions, and further adversely affect the cost and availability of energy supplies and other inputs in our European operations. Any energy shortages could impair our ability to continue our operations at such sites at normal levels or at acceptable cost levels, and therefore adversely affect our business operations, financial condition, and results of operations. We forecast and monitor energy usage, and, from time to time, use commodity futures or swaps in an attempt to reduce the impact of energy price increases. However, these efforts may be insufficient to protect us against fluctuations in energy prices or shortages of natural gas, and we could suffer adverse effects to net income and cash flow should we be unable to either offset or pass higher energy costs through to our customers in a timely manner or at all.

Supply shortages or disruptions in our supply chains could affect our ability to obtain timely delivery of materials, equipment, and supplies from our suppliers, and in turn, adversely affect our ability to supply products to our customers. Such disruptions could have a material and adverse effect on our business and financial results.

We depend on third parties for transportation services.

We rely primarily on third parties for transportation of the products we manufacture and distribute, as well as for delivery of our raw materials. In particular, a significant portion of the goods we manufacture and raw materials we use are transported by railroad or trucks, which are highly regulated. If any of our third-party transportation providers were to fail to deliver the goods that we manufacture or distribute in a timely manner, we might be unable to sell those products at full value, or at all. Similarly, if any of these providers were to fail to deliver raw materials to us in a timely manner, we might be unable to manufacture our products in response to customer demand. In addition, if any of these third parties were to cease operations or cease doing business with us, we might be unable to replace them at a reasonable cost. Any failure of a third-party transportation provider to deliver raw materials or finished products in a timely manner could harm our reputation, adversely impact our customer relationships, and have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We may be unable to achieve, or may be delayed in achieving, adequate returns from our efforts to optimize our operations, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We continually strive to serve our customers and increase returns to our shareholders through innovation and improved operating performance by investing in productivity improvements, manufacturing efficiencies, manufacturing cost reductions, and the rationalization of our manufacturing facilities footprints. However, our operations include complex manufacturing systems as well as intricate scheduling and numerous geographic and logistical complexities, and our business initiatives are subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. We may not meet anticipated implementation timetables or stay within budgeted costs, and we may not fully achieve expected results. These initiatives could also adversely impact customer or employee retention or our operations. Additionally, our business strategies may change from time to time in light of our ability to implement new business initiatives, competitive pressures, economic uncertainties or developments, or other factors. A variety of risks could cause us not to realize some or all of the expected benefits of these initiatives. These risks include, among others, delays in the anticipated timing of activities related to such initiatives, strategies, and operating plans; increased difficulty and costs in implementing these efforts; and the incurrence of other unexpected costs associated with operating the

12 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

business. As a result, there can be no assurance that we will realize these benefits. If, for any reason, the benefits we realize are substantially less than our estimates, or the implementation of these growth initiatives and business strategies adversely affects our operations, costs significantly more or takes significantly longer to effectuate than we expect, or if our assumptions prove inaccurate, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

Material disruptions in our business operations could adversely affect our financial results.

Although we take measures to minimize the risks of disruption at our facilities, we from time to time encounter an unforeseen material operational disruption in one of our major facilities, which could adversely impact production and our financial results. Such a disruption could occur as a result of any number of events including but not limited to: political events, trade and other international disputes, war (such as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine as well as the economic sanctions related thereto, and uncertainty in the Middle East, the potential escalation of tensions between China and Taiwan, and the potential impact of recent events in Venezuela on Latin America), terrorism, industrial accidents, major equipment failure, labor stoppages, transportation failures affecting the supply and shipment of materials, disruptions at our suppliers, fire, severe weather conditions (including as a result of climate change), natural disasters and disruptions in utility services, as well as disruptions related to localized or widespread public health events (including epidemics or pandemics). These types of disruptions could materially and adversely affect our earnings to varying degrees depending upon the facility, the duration of the disruption, and our ability to shift business to another facility or find alternative sources of materials or energy. Any losses due to these events may not be covered by our existing insurance policies or may be subject to certain deductibles.

Risks Related to Acquisitions, Divestitures and Joint Ventures

We may fail to realize expected benefits from our acquisitions, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We continually evaluate potential acquisitions and strategic investments that are significant to our business both in the United States and internationally. We have invested a substantial amount of capital in acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic investments, including our acquisition of Eviosys in December 2024, the acquisition of a paper mill in Chattanooga, Tennessee (the “Chattanooga Mill”) and the remaining equity interest in RTS Packaging, LLC in September 2023, and the acquisition of Metal Packaging in January 2022, and we expect that we will continue to evaluate potential acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic investments in the future. Acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic investments involve numerous risks. As has happened from time to time in the past, acquired businesses may not achieve the expected levels of revenue, profitability or productivity, or otherwise perform as expected, and acquisitions may involve significant cash expenditures, debt incurrence, operating losses, and expenses that could have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Acquisitions also involve special risks, including, without limitation, the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, the potential assumption of unanticipated liabilities and contingencies, and the challenges of effectively integrating acquired businesses.

Other risks and challenges associated with acquisitions include, without limitation:

•substantial costs and indebtedness associated with negotiating and completing acquisitions;

•demands on management related to increase in size of our businesses and additional responsibilities of management;

•diversion of management’s attention;

•disruptions to our ongoing businesses;

•changes to our pricing model;

•inaccurate estimates of fair value in accounting for acquisitions and amortization of acquired intangible assets, which could reduce future reported earnings;

•difficulties in assimilation and retention of employees;

•difficulties in integration of departments, systems, technologies, books and records, controls (including internal financial and disclosure controls), procedures, and policies;

•potential loss of major customers and suppliers;

•challenges associated with operating in new geographic regions and competitive environments;

•challenges associated with the operation of new, different or more complex operations;

•challenges associated with integrating legacy compliance programs;

•difficulties in maintaining uniform standards, controls, procedures, and policies;

•difficulties in servicing and repaying indebtedness and limitations on flexibility from the financing of acquisitions;

•potential failure to anticipate delays or restrictions resulting from regulatory review or required approvals;

•potential failure to consummate an acquisition;

•potential failure to identify material problems and liabilities during due diligence review of acquisition targets; and

•potential failure to obtain sufficient indemnification rights to fully offset possible liabilities associated with acquired businesses.

Even if we are successful in integrating our acquisitions, such acquisitions may not ultimately be successful or accretive to earnings, and we may not realize the expected benefits from such transactions within the anticipated time frame, or at all. If actual performance in an acquisition falls short of the projected results, or the assessment of the relevant facts and circumstances was inaccurate or changes, it is possible that a noncash impairment charge of any related goodwill would be required, and our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, or complete acquisitions on our desired timing or terms, which could limit our potential for growth.

We have made numerous acquisitions in recent years and have been actively considering new acquisitions that provide meaningful opportunities for growth. However, we may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates or complete acquisitions on acceptable timing, terms, and conditions. Other companies in our industries have similar investment and acquisition strategies to ours, and competition

13 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

for acquisitions may intensify. If we are unable to identify acquisition candidates that meet our criteria, our potential for growth may be restricted. Even if we do identify acquisition candidates that we believe meet our criteria, we may be unable to complete such acquisitions in a timely manner, on desirable terms or at all, including as a result of an inability to satisfy related closing conditions or obtain necessary government consents, or the expiration or termination of applicable regulatory waiting periods. For example, our ability to close certain of our prior acquisitions have in some cases been delayed due to regulatory review or other constraints. Our efforts to identify suitable acquisition candidates, even if successful, could also cause us to incur substantial search and transaction fees, divert the time and attention of our management, or fail to identify due diligence or other issues affecting the value and suitability of potential acquisition targets. Any of these results could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.

In connection with acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, or other strategic transactions, we may become subject to liabilities and legal claims.

In connection with acquisitions, joint ventures, divestitures, or other strategic transactions, we have in the past, and may in the future, become subject to liabilities or legal claims, including but not limited to: third party liability and other tort claims; claims for breach of contract; employment-related claims; environmental, health, and safety liabilities, conditions or damage; permitting, regulatory or other legal compliance issues (such as potential liabilities arising from anti-corruption laws and sanctions regulations); claims for contractual indemnification; or tax liabilities. In addition, we may assume risks and liabilities that our due diligence investigations with respect to acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions fail to identify, including issues relating to inadequate internal controls and procedures relating to accounting, finance, cybersecurity, and data protection controls issues. If we become subject to any of these liabilities or claims with respect to any acquisition, joint venture, divestiture, or other strategic transaction, and they are not adequately covered by insurance or an enforceable indemnity or similar agreement from a creditworthy counterparty, we may be responsible for significant out-of-pocket expenditures. Such underinsured or non-indemnified liabilities, if they materialize, could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We may encounter difficulties restructuring operations or closing or disposing of facilities, assets or businesses.

From time to time, we have closed higher-cost facilities, implemented reductions in force, sold non-core assets and businesses, and otherwise restructured operations, and are likely to do so again, in an effort to improve cost competitiveness and profitability and reduce leverage. For example, in 2025 we completed the divestitures of TFP and ThermoSafe, and in 2024, we completed the divestiture of Protexic. In addition, during 2024 and 2025, we permanently closed a paper mill in Mexico and a paper mill in the United States as part of our strategy to rationalize our mill network and lower operating costs, closed metal can facilities in France and Spain, and closed several other high-cost operations. As a result, restructuring and divestiture costs have been, and are expected to continue to be, a recurring component of our operating costs, the magnitude of which could vary significantly from year to year depending on the scope of such activities. Divestitures and restructuring may result, and have in the past resulted, in significant financial charges for the write-off or impairment of assets, including goodwill and other intangible assets. Furthermore, such activities may divert the attention of management, disrupt our ordinary operations, or result in a reduction in the volume of products produced and sold, and the impact of divestitures on our revenue growth may be larger than we anticipate if we experience greater dis-synergies than we expect. In addition, in cases where we seek to divest or otherwise dispose of certain facilities, operations, assets, or other components of our business, we may be unable to find buyers or alternative exit strategies on acceptable terms, in a timely manner or at all, and we may dispose of facilities, operations, assets, or other components of our business at prices or on terms that are less desirable than we had anticipated. Moreover, we may be prevented from completing dispositions as a result of our own or our counterparties’ failure to satisfy pre-closing conditions or obtain necessary regulatory or government approvals. We may also be exposed to continuing financial risks from any businesses we divest, including as a result of continuing equity ownership, guarantees, indemnities, responsibility for environmental clean-up, or other financial obligations. There is no guarantee that any such activities will achieve our goals, and if we cannot successfully manage the associated risks, our financial position and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We have investments in joint ventures that are not operated solely for our benefit.

Several of our operations are conducted through joint ventures. In joint ventures, we share ownership and, in some instances, management of a company with one or more parties who may or may not have the same goals, strategies, priorities, or resources as we do. In general, joint ventures are intended to be operated for the benefit of all co-owners, rather than for our exclusive benefit. Operating a business as a joint venture often requires additional organizational formalities, as well as time-consuming procedures for sharing information, accounting, and making decisions. In certain cases, our joint venture partners must agree in order for the applicable joint venture to take certain actions, including acquisitions, the sale of assets, budget approvals, borrowing money, and granting liens on joint venture property. Our inability to take unilateral action that we believe is in our best interests may have an adverse effect on the financial performance of the joint venture and the return on our investment. In joint ventures, we believe our relationship with our co-owners is an important factor to the success of the joint venture, and if a co-owner changes, our relationship may be adversely affected. In addition, the benefits from a successful joint venture are shared among the co-owners, so that we do not receive all the benefits from our successful joint ventures. Finally, we may be required on a legal or practical basis, or both, to accept liability for obligations of a joint venture beyond our economic interest, including in cases where our co-owner becomes bankrupt or is otherwise unable to meet its commitments.

In addition, because we share ownership and management with our joint venture partners, we may have limited control over the actions of a joint venture, particularly when we own a minority interest. As a result, we may be unable to prevent violations of applicable laws or other misconduct by a joint venture, or the failure to satisfy contractual obligations by one or more parties. Moreover, a joint venture may not be subject to or follow the same requirements regarding compliance, internal controls and internal control over financial reporting that we follow. To the extent another party makes decisions that adversely impact the joint venture or internal control issues arise within the joint venture, we may have to take responsive actions, or we may be subject to penalties, fines, or other punitive actions for these activities.

Risks Related to Competition, Customers and Suppliers

We face intense competition, and failure to compete effectively may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

We sell our products in highly competitive markets. We regularly bid for new and continuing business, and being a responsive, high-quality, low-cost producer is a key component of competing effectively. We also face competition that may be larger, more diversified, or better funded than us. These competitive advantages may enable our competition to adapt more quickly to changing customer or consumer preferences, including with respect to more sustainable products and packaging; changes brought about by public health events, supply chain constraints,

14 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

inflationary pressures, currency fluctuations, geopolitical uncertainty, and increased interest rates; or the introduction of new products, technologies, and equipment, including advanced technologies such as AI. For example, growing use of AI by our competitors could disrupt our business model and lower the barriers to entry in the markets we serve. If our competitors invest in, develop and utilize AI tools more effectively than us to innovate and introduce go-to-market solutions more rapidly and compete more effectively on quality and price, we could lose business and the profitability of our business could be reduced. We have started to introduce certain AI capabilities via Microsoft CoPilot in our environment, and some of our business solution partners have also added AI capabilities to their tooling, but usage is still minimal. Any impact arising from the use of AI by our competitors, as well as the loss of business from our larger customers, customer changes to alternative forms of packaging, or renewal of business with less favorable terms, could have a significant and adverse effect on our results of operations.

Continuing consolidation of our customer base and suppliers may intensify pricing pressure.

Like us, many of our larger customers have acquired companies with similar or complementary product lines, and many of our customers have been acquired. Additionally, many of our suppliers of raw materials are consolidating. This consolidation of customers and suppliers has increased the concentration of our business with our largest customers, and in some cases, increased pricing pressures. Similarly, consolidation of our larger suppliers has resulted in increased pricing pressures from our suppliers. Further consolidation of customers and suppliers could intensify pricing pressure, reduce our net sales, increase our costs, and adversely affect our results of operations.

The loss of a key customer, or a reduction in its production requirements, could have a significant and adverse effect on our sales and profitability.

Each of our segments has large customers, and the loss of any of these could have a significant and adverse effect on the segment’s sales and, depending on the magnitude of the loss, our results of operations and financial condition. Although a majority of our master customer contracts are long-term, they are terminable under certain circumstances, such as our failure to meet quality, pricing, or volume requirements, and the contracts themselves often do not require a specific level of purchasing. There is no assurance that existing customer relationships will be renewed at the same level of production, or at all, at the end of the contract term. Furthermore, the loss of any of our major customers, a reduction in their purchasing levels, or an adverse change in the terms of supply agreements with these customers could reduce our net sales and net income. Continued consolidation of our customers could exacerbate any such loss. For more information on concentration of sales volume in our reportable segments, see Item1(c), “Description of Business—Other Aspects of the Company’s Business—Dependence on Customers.”

Challenges to, or the loss of, our intellectual property rights could have an adverse effect on our ability to compete effectively.

Our ability to compete effectively depends, in part, on our ability to protect and maintain the proprietary nature of our owned and licensed intellectual property. We own a large number of patents on our products, aspects of our products, methods of use and methods of manufacturing; and we own, or have licenses to use, all of the material trademark and trade name rights used in connection with the packaging, marketing, and distribution of our major products. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how and other unpatented proprietary technology. We attempt to protect and restrict access to our intellectual property and proprietary information by relying on the patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws of the United States and other countries, as well as non-disclosure agreements. However, it may be possible for a third party to obtain our information without our authorization, independently develop similar technologies, or breach a non-disclosure agreement entered into with us. Furthermore, many of the countries in which we operate do not have intellectual property laws that protect proprietary rights as fully as do laws in the United States. The use of our intellectual property by someone else without our authorization could reduce or eliminate certain competitive advantages, cause us to lose sales, or otherwise harm our business. The costs associated with protecting our intellectual property rights could also adversely impact our business.

In addition, we are from time to time subject to claims from third parties suggesting that we may be infringing on their intellectual property rights. If we were held liable for infringement, we could be required to pay damages, obtain licenses, or cease making or selling certain products.

Intellectual property litigation, which could result in substantial costs to us and divert the attention of management, may be necessary to protect our trade secrets or proprietary technology, or for us to defend against claimed infringement of the rights of others and to determine the scope and validity of others’ proprietary rights. We may not prevail in any such litigation, and if we are unsuccessful, we may not be able to obtain any necessary licenses on reasonable terms, or at all. Failure to protect our patents, trademarks, and other intellectual property rights may have a material and adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Products

We may not be able to develop new products acceptable to the market.

For many of our businesses, organic growth depends on product innovation, new product development, and timely response to constantly changing consumer demands and preferences. Sales of our products and services depend heavily on the volume of sales made by our customers to consumers. Consumer preferences for products and packaging formats are constantly changing based on, among other factors, cost and convenience; and health, environmental and social concerns and perceptions. Our failure, or the failure of our customers, to develop new or better products in response to changing consumer preferences in a timely manner and attractive cost may hinder our growth potential and affect our competitive position, and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

15 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

Product liability claims and other legal proceedings could adversely affect our operations and financial performance.

We produce products and provide services related to other parties’ products. There can be no assurance that we or our customers will not experience operational process failures that could result in potential product, safety, regulatory, or environmental claims and associated litigation. We are also subject to a variety of legal proceedings and legal compliance risks in our areas of operation around the globe. Any such claims, whether with or without merit, could be time-consuming and expensive to defend, affect our reputation, and could divert management’s attention and resources. In accordance with customary practice, we maintain insurance against some, but not all, of these potential claims; however, in the future, we may not be able to maintain such insurance at acceptable premium cost levels. In addition, the levels of insurance we maintain may not be adequate to fully cover any and all losses or liabilities. If any significant judgment or claim is not fully insured or indemnified against or imposes restrictions on our business operations, it could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We and the industries in which we operate are at times reviewed or investigated by regulators and other governmental authorities, which could lead to enforcement actions, fines and penalties, or the assertion of private litigation claims and damages. Responding to actual or threatened litigation or government investigations of our compliance with regulatory standards may require significant expenditures of time and other resources. While we have adopted risk management and compliance programs, the global and diverse nature of our operations means that legal and compliance risks will continue to exist and that legal proceedings and other contingencies, the outcome of which cannot be predicted with certainty, will arise from time to time, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Risks Related to Climate Change and Environmental, Health and Safety, and Corporate Social Responsibility Laws and Regulations

Adverse weather and other effects of climate change may result in lower sales and higher costs. In addition, climate-related regulations may add cost and complexity to our operations.

We manufacture packaging products for foods, as well as products used in construction and industrial manufacturing. Adverse or varying weather conditions associated with climate change have impacted, and could in the future impact, crop yields and harvest timing, which in turn could impact the level and timing of demand for our containers. In addition, poor or extreme weather conditions have temporarily impacted, and could in the future temporarily impact, the level of construction and industrial activity and impact the efficiency of our manufacturing operations. Weather-related events, such as hurricanes, droughts, hail, frost, fires and floods, which may increase in frequency and severity due to climate change, have and could in the future result in lost production, supply chain disruptions, and increased material costs. Such disruptions could have, and have in the past had, a material and adverse effect on our results of operations.

There has been increased focus from investors, customers, the general public, and certain governmental and nongovernmental authorities on climate change and GHG emissions. The increasing concern over climate change has resulted, and will continue to result, in transition risks such as shifting customer preferences in favor of more environmentally friendly products, which we may be unable to address, and increased regulation intended to reduce overall GHG emissions. Such rules and regulations could include, among other things, cap-and-trade programs, carbon taxes, and mandates within certain industries or activities to reduce GHG emissions. Some of our facilities are subject to these regulations, and compliance with such rules and any other regulatory responses to climate change could in the future significantly increase costs and add complexity to our operations.

Additionally, in the United States, several states where we operate manufacturing facilities have enacted or are in the process of enacting regulations limiting GHG emissions or implementing cap-and-trade programs. Our facilities currently fall outside of the scope of these regulations but may be impacted in the future. Several of our manufacturing facilities outside of the United States have entered into GHG emissions trading programs as a result of local regulations. Certain countries where we have manufacturing facilities have set GHG reduction targets to align with an agreement signed in April 2016 between 170 countries establishing a framework to reduce global GHG emissions (also known as the “Paris Agreement”), that became effective in November 2016. Many of the other countries where we conduct business are developing or are expected to develop similar climate change related regulations. To the extent our facilities become subject to additional or changing regulations related to GHG emissions in the United States or internationally, compliance with such regulations could significantly increase costs and add complexity to our operations and limit our flexibility, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and prospects.

Any failure in our procedures to monitor climate related regulatory and policy changes in the jurisdictions in which we operate or in our processes and tools to track our GHG emissions and assess both operational and financial impacts of climate-related regulations, and any failure to comply with any such regulations and policies, could subject us to additional costs and penalties and harm to our reputation. We could also face increased costs related to defending and resolving legal claims and other litigation related to climate change and the alleged impact of our operations on climate change.

Expectations relating to ESG issues, including related reporting obligations, could expose us to potential liabilities, increased costs, reputational harm, and other adverse effects on our business.

In order to align with customer and other stakeholder expectations, we have voluntarily established and publicly disclosed our GHG reduction targets and other environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) goals and sustainability targets. These targets could prove more costly or difficult to achieve than we expect, and we may be unable to achieve these targets at an acceptable cost or at all. If we are unable to meet these targets and goals on our projected timelines or at all, whether as a result of cost, operational or technological limitations, or if such targets or our progress against them are not perceived to be sufficiently robust, our reputation, as well as our relationships with investors, customers and other stakeholders, could be harmed, which could in turn adversely affect our business, results of operations and prospects. In addition, not all of our competitors may seek to establish climate or other ESG targets and goals, or may not establish targets and goals that are comparable to ours, which could result in our competitors achieving competitive advantages through lower supply chain or operating costs, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

In addition, ESG matters have recently been the subject of increased regulatory and stakeholder attention, and emerging and evolving regulatory requirements and frameworks regarding ESG matters. The changes to existing or imposition of new laws, regulatory requirements, policies, international accords or changing interpretations thereof, changes in the enforcement priorities of regulators, and differing or competing regulations and standards across the markets where we manufacture, distribute and sell our products, as well as relating to matters beyond our core products, including environmental sustainability, climate change, human capital and employment matters, has in the

16 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

past and could continue to result in higher production and manufacturing costs, compliance costs, capital expenditures and other costs, resulting in adverse effects on our business. In addition, we expect to need to be prepared to contend with overlapping, yet distinct, climate-related disclosure requirements in multiple jurisdictions. For instance, the State of California has enacted legislation that requires greater transparency on climate-related matters, including legislation that will require large U.S. companies doing business in California to make broad-based climate-related disclosures starting as early as 2026, and other states are also considering new climate change disclosure requirements. In the European Union, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, which became effective in 2023, but is in the process of being revised, applies to both E.U. and non-E.U. in-scope entities and would require them to provide expansive disclosures on various sustainability topics. We are assessing our obligations under these laws and expect that compliance with these and other future reporting obligations could require substantial cost and effort. Collecting, measuring, and reporting ESG information and metrics can be costly, difficult, and time-consuming, are subject to evolving reporting standards and interpretive guidance, and can present numerous operational, reputational, financial, legal, and other risks. Globally, a lack of harmonization in relation to ESG legal and regulatory reform across the jurisdictions in which we operate may increase the cost and difficulty of implementing and complying with rapidly developing ESG reporting standards and requirements, and any failure to comply with such legislation and regulations could result in fines to us and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

At the same time, compliance with ESG-related rules and efforts to meet increasingly divergent stakeholder expectations on business practices and company activities, including related to ESG matters, may place strain on our employees, systems, and resources. Within and among different stakeholder groups, including shareholders, customers, government regulators and actors and employees, there are differing views on sustainability and ESG matters, which increases the risk that any action or lack thereof with respect to sustainability or ESG matters will be perceived negatively by at least some stakeholders, could result in reputational harm, litigation, enforcement actions or other adverse consequences which may adversely impact our business. The current sociopolitical landscape has led to rapid and unpredictable shifts in public sentiment, which has resulted in dynamics that increase the risk of reputational damage, boycotts and shifts in consumer behavior, and we may not be able to align our practices with such evolving expectations within the timeframes expected by stakeholders or regulators, or without incurring significant costs to our business and reputation. This could adversely affect our sales and profitability, our ability to attract or retain employees, and our attractiveness as an investment, supplier, or business partner. Our ability to respond effectively, sensitively, and authentically to the expectations of our stakeholders is key to mitigating these risks. In addition, we could experience adverse effects on our reputation, business, and results of operations if we are targeted by those who disagree with our public positions on ESG issues or who inaccurately perceive or mischaracterize our public positions and disclosures on these topics. If we do not successfully manage ESG-related expectations across stakeholders, it could erode stakeholder trust, impact our reputation, and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We are subject to costs and potential liabilities related to environmental, health and safety, and corporate social responsibility laws and regulations that could adversely affect our results of operations.

We must comply with extensive and sometimes inconsistent laws, rules, and regulations in the United States, Europe, United Kingdom, and in each of the other countries in which we do business regarding the environment, health and safety, and corporate social responsibility. Compliance with these laws and regulations can require significant expenditures of financial and employee resources.

Federal, state, provincial, foreign and local environmental requirements, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, and particularly those relating to air, soil and water quality, handling, discharge, storage and disposal of a variety of substances, and climate change are significant factors in our business and generally increase our costs of operations. We may be found to have environmental liability for the costs of remediating soil or water that is, or was, contaminated by us or a third party at various sites that we now own, use, or operate, or previously owned, used, or operated. Legal proceedings may result in the imposition of fines or penalties, as well as mandated remediation programs, that require substantial, and in some instances, unplanned capital expenditures.

In addition, existing laws and regulations could be revised or reinterpreted, and new laws and regulations could be adopted or become applicable to us or our facilities, thereby impacting the cost of compliance. Further, in June 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference doctrine, which provided for judicial deference to an administrative agency’s reasonable statutory interpretation of regulations in litigation against those agencies. As a result, there is additional uncertainty going forward regarding current and future regulatory interpretations of the laws.

We have incurred in the past, and may incur in the future, fines, penalties and legal costs relating to environmental matters, and costs relating to the damage of natural resources, lost property values and toxic tort claims. We have made expenditures to comply with environmental regulations and expect to make additional expenditures in the future. As of December 31, 2025, approximately $1.8 million was reserved for environmental liabilities. Such reserves are established when it is considered probable that we have some liability. However, because the extent of potential environmental damage, and the extent of our liability for the damage, is usually difficult to assess and may only be ascertained over a long period of time, our actual liability in such cases may end up being substantially higher than the currently reserved amount. Accordingly, additional charges could be incurred and could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Many of our products come into contact with the food and beverages packaged within, and therefore we are subject to risks and liabilities related to health and safety matters in connection with those products. Accordingly, our products must comply with various laws and regulations for food and beverages applicable to our customers. Changes in such laws and regulations could adversely impact customers’ demand for our products as they comply with such changes and require us to make changes to our products. Such changes to our products could include modifications to the coatings and compounds we use, possibly resulting in the incurrence of additional costs. Additionally, because many of our products are used to package consumer goods, we are subject to a variety of risks that could influence consumer behavior and adversely impact demand for consumer packaged goods and, consequently, for our products, including changes in consumer preferences driven by various health-related concerns and perceptions.

In addition, our operations and those of our suppliers are governed by regulations focused on “conflict minerals” and restrictions on other materials. Disclosure regulations relating to the use of conflict minerals sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries could affect the sourcing, availability, and cost of materials used in the manufacture of some of our products. We also incur costs associated with supply chain due diligence, and, if applicable, potential changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a result of such due diligence. Because our supply chain is complex, we may also face reputational risk with our customers and other stakeholders if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins of all such minerals used in our products.

Changes to laws and regulations dealing with environmental, health and safety, and corporate social responsibility issues (e.g., sustainability) are made or proposed with some frequency, and some of the proposals, if adopted, might, directly or indirectly, result in a material reduction in the results of operations of one or more of our operating units. For example, we may be subject to future policy changes and regulations that

17 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

discourage the use of single-use plastics and packaging containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), mandate certain waste management practices, recycling or the use of recycled content, or place limitations on certain kinds of packaging materials. Such regulations could both result in customers switching to other packaging formats, and therefore result in lost revenue, and result in increased costs associated with sourcing recycled resins and designing and producing products with enhanced recyclability. These or any other such policy changes or new regulations are uncertain and we cannot predict the impact on our markets or the amount of additional capital expenditures or operating expenses that could be necessary for compliance.

Further, future compliance with existing, developing and new laws and requirements has the potential to disrupt our business operations and may require significant expenditures, and our existing reserves for specific matters may not be adequate to cover future costs and we may have to increase our reserves. We could also incur substantial liabilities, including fines or sanctions, enforcement actions, natural resource damages claims, cleanup and closure costs, and third-party claims for property damage and personal injury under environmental and other laws. We have insurance coverage, subject to applicable deductibles or retentions, policy limits and other conditions, for certain environmental matters; however, we may not be successful with respect to any claim regarding these insurance or indemnification rights and, if we are successful, any amounts paid pursuant to the insurance or indemnification rights may not be sufficient to cover all our costs and expenses. To the extent that we face unforeseen compliance costs or remediation expenses or liabilities that are not covered by insurance, we may bear the full effect of such costs, expenses and liabilities, which could materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. Further, we may not be able to obtain future insurance coverage at current levels or at all, and our premiums may increase significantly. The cost of coverage may increase to an extent that we may choose to reduce our policy limits, increase our deductibles or retentions, or agree to certain exclusions from coverage.

Risks Related to Financing Activities

We, or our customers, may not be able to obtain necessary credit or, if so, on reasonable terms.

At December 31, 2025, we had $3.7 billion of fixed-rate debt outstanding. We also operate a $1.25 billion commercial paper program, supported by a $1.25 billion revolving credit facility committed by a syndicate of banks until May 2029. We have the contractual right to draw funds directly on the underlying bank credit facility, which could possibly occur if there were a disruption in the commercial paper market. However, if these obligations were not met, we may be forced to seek more costly or cumbersome forms of credit. Should such credit be unavailable for an extended time, it would significantly affect our ability to operate our business and execute our plans. In addition, our customers may experience liquidity problems as a result of an adverse change in the economic environment, including the ability to obtain credit, that could limit their ability to purchase our products and services or satisfy their existing obligations.

In addition, our ability to issue commercial paper and access the credit markets, and the cost of these borrowings, is affected by the strength of our credit ratings and current market conditions. Failure to maintain credit ratings that are acceptable to investors, including as a result of increased leverage, may adversely affect the cost and other terms upon which we are able to obtain financing, as well as our access to the capital markets. Any downgrade in our credit rating could increase our cost of borrowing, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and our ability to pay dividends.

Our significant indebtedness could adversely affect our cash flow, increase our vulnerability to economic conditions, and limit or restrict our business activities.

We have incurred, and may incur in the future, significant indebtedness, including in connection with mergers or acquisitions, which may impact the manner in which we conduct business or our access to external sources of liquidity. For example, in connection with our December 2024 acquisition of Eviosys, we issued $1.8 billion aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes and borrowed a total of $2.2 billion through two unsecured term loan facilities. In addition to interest payments, a significant portion of our cash flow may need to be used to service our indebtedness, and, therefore, may not be available for use in our business. Although we used the net proceeds from our divestitures of TFP and ThermoSafe in 2025 to reduce our indebtedness, as required under the terms of such term loan facilities, our ability to generate cash from the sale of assets or divestitures of business in the future is limited following the simplification of our portfolio into two core global business segments. Our ability to generate cash flow is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory, and other factors that may be beyond our control. Our indebtedness could have a significant impact on us, including, but not limited to:

•increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

•requiring us to dedicate a significant portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of our cash flow available to fund working capital, acquisitions and capital expenditures, and for other general corporate purposes;

•limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry;

•restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or exploiting business opportunities;

•necessitating the divestiture of certain of our assets or businesses in order to generate cash to service our indebtedness;

•limiting our ability to continue paying dividends; or

•limiting our ability to borrow additional funds.

Certain of our debt agreements impose restrictions with respect to the maintenance of financial ratios and the disposition of assets. The most restrictive covenants currently require us to maintain a minimum level of interest coverage, and a minimum level of net worth. These restrictive covenants could adversely affect our ability to engage in certain business activities that would otherwise be in our best long-term interests.

Some of our indebtedness is subject to floating interest rates, which would result in our interest expense increasing if interest rates rise.

We on occasion utilize debt instruments with a variable rate of interest, including term loan facilities, under which we had outstanding indebtedness totaling $0.5 billion as of December 31, 2025. Fluctuations in interest rates can increase borrowing costs and, depending on the magnitude of variable-rate borrowings outstanding, could potentially have a material and adverse effect on our business. Other variable-rate borrowings at December 31, 2025 were approximately $0.1 billion.

18 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

We may incur additional debt in the future, which could increase the risks associated with our leverage.

We are continually evaluating and pursuing acquisition opportunities and, as we have in the past, we may from time to time incur additional indebtedness to finance any such acquisitions and to fund any resulting increased operating needs. As new debt is added to our current debt levels, the related risks we face could increase. While we will have to effect any new financing in compliance with the agreements governing our then existing indebtedness, changes in our debt levels and or debt structure may impact our credit rating and costs to borrow, as well as constrain our future financial flexibility in the event of a deterioration in our financial operating performance or financial condition. At December 31, 2025, scheduled debt maturities in 2026 totaled approximately $0.5 billion.

Risks Related to Information Technology and Cybersecurity

We rely on our information technology, and its failure or disruption could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our information technologies to securely manage operations and various business functions, and we rely on diverse technologies to process, store and report information about our business, and to interact with customers, vendors and employees around the world. As with all large environments, our IT systems may be susceptible to damage, disruption or shutdown due to natural disaster, hardware or software failure, obsolescence, cyberattack, support infrastructure failure, user errors or malfeasance resulting in malicious or accidental destruction of information or functionality, or other catastrophic events. In addition, we may be subject to cybersecurity-related liabilities from businesses or assets that we acquire.

From time to time, we have been, and we will likely continue to be, subject to cybersecurity-related incidents.

Information system damages, disruptions, shutdowns or compromises could result in production downtimes and operational disruptions, transaction errors, loss of customers and business opportunities, legal liability, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, reputational damage, reimbursement or compensatory payments, and other costs, any of which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial position and operations. Although we attempt to mitigate these risks by employing a number of administrative, physical, technical and process-based measures, including employee training, comprehensive monitoring of our networks and systems, and maintenance of backup and protective systems, our systems, networks, products, and services remain potentially vulnerable to cyber threats. Furthermore, the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by malicious actors to obtain unauthorized access to IT systems and networks change frequently and often are not recognizable until launched against a target. Accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or implement adequate preventative measures. It is possible that we may in the future suffer a criminal attack whereby unauthorized parties gain access to our IT networks and systems, including sensitive, confidential or proprietary data, and we may not be able to identify and respond to such an incident in a timely manner.

We have continued to explore AI use cases in our operations, but there is no guarantee that our investment in such technologies will result in improvements in productivity, efficiency, or other anticipated benefits. While we are continuing to analyze potential risks arising from our use of AI, because AI technology is highly complex and rapidly developing, we may not be able to predict all of the risks that may arise relating to our current or any future use of AI.

A security breach of customer, employee, supplier or company information may have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We maintain and have access to sensitive, confidential, proprietary and personal data and information that is subject to privacy and security laws, regulations and customer controls. This personal data and information is subject to the risk of intrusion, tampering and theft. Although we develop and maintain systems designed to prevent such events from occurring, the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become increasingly sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts to protect such sensitive, confidential, proprietary, and personal data or information, our facilities and systems and those of our customers, suppliers and third-party service providers may be vulnerable to security breaches, misplaced or lost data, and programming or user errors that could lead to the compromise of sensitive, confidential, proprietary or personal data and information. Similar security threats exist with respect to the IT systems of our lenders, suppliers, consultants, advisors and other third parties with whom we conduct business. Additionally, we provide confidential, proprietary and personal data and information to third parties when it is necessary to pursue business objectives and there is a risk that the confidentiality of personal data and information held by third parties may be compromised. Increasing use of AI may increase these risks.

The SEC adopted rules mandating disclosure regarding cybersecurity risk management and governance, as well as material cybersecurity incidents. We continue to see increased regulation of data privacy and security and the adoption of more stringent consumer privacy laws, as well as subject matter specific state laws and national laws regulating the collection and use of data, and security and data breach obligations – including the passage and expansion of data protection laws around the world. It is likely that new laws and regulations will continue to be adopted in the United States and internationally, and existing laws and regulations may be interpreted in new ways that would affect our business. Although we take reasonable efforts to comply with all applicable laws and regulations, the uncertainty and changes in the requirements of multiple jurisdictions may increase the cost of compliance, reduce demand for our services, restrict our ability to offer services in certain locations, and jeopardize business transactions across borders.

As a result of potential cyber threats and existing and new data protection requirements, we have incurred significant costs as part of our efforts to protect and safeguard our sensitive, confidential, proprietary and personal data and information, and the sensitive, confidential, proprietary and personal data and information of our customers, suppliers and third-party service providers. We expect to continue to incur such costs and may face increased costs and be required to expend substantial resources in the event of an actual or perceived security breach or incident and to comply with the SEC cybersecurity disclosure rules. These efforts also may divert management and employee attention from other business and growth initiatives. Failure to provide adequate privacy protections and maintain compliance with data privacy laws could result in interruptions or damage to our operations, legal or reputational risks, create liabilities for us, subject us to sanctions by data protection regulators and result in significant penalties, and increase our cost of doing business, all of which could have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

19 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

Risks Related to Accounting, Human Resources, Financial, and Business Matters and Taxation

Changes in pension plan assets or liabilities may reduce our results of operations and shareholders’ equity.

We sponsor various defined benefit plans worldwide and had an aggregate PBO for these plans of approximately $483 million as of December 31, 2025. The difference between defined benefit plan obligations and assets (the funded status of the plans) significantly affects the net periodic benefit costs and the ongoing funding requirements of the plans. Among other factors, changes in discount rates and lower-than-expected investment returns could substantially increase our future plan funding requirements and have an adverse impact on our results of operations and cash flows. As of December 31, 2025, these plans held a total of approximately $320 million in assets consisting primarily of mutual funds and fixed income securities, funding a portion of the PBOs of the plans. If the performance of these assets does not meet our assumptions, or discount rates decline, the net underfunding of the plans may increase and we may be required to contribute additional funds to these plans, and our pension expense may increase, which could adversely affect results of operations and shareholders’ equity.

Our ability to attract, develop and retain talented executives, managers and employees is critical to our success.

Our ability to attract, develop, integrate and retain talented employees, including executives and other key managers, is important to our business. The experience and industry contacts of our management team and other key personnel significantly benefit us, and we need expertise like theirs to carry out our business strategies and plans. We also rely on the specialized knowledge and experience of certain key technical employees. The loss of these key officers and employees, or the failure to attract and develop talented new executives, managers and employees, could have a material and adverse effect on our business. Effective succession planning is also important to our long-term success, and failure to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and smooth transitions involving key officers and employees could hinder our strategic planning and execution. We have from time to time experienced turnover on our senior management team, and if we are unable to attract, motivate and retain qualified personnel, or if we experience excessive turnover, we may experience declining sales, manufacturing delays or other inefficiencies, increased recruiting, training and relocation costs and other difficulties, and our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition may be adversely impacted.

Labor disruptions and a rise in labor costs could impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A portion of our workforce is unionized. We may experience labor shortages and work stoppages at one or more of our manufacturing plants due to localized or industry strikes. A prolonged work stoppage or strike at any plant with unionized employees could increase costs and affect our ability to supply products to our customers. In addition, upon the expiration of existing collective bargaining agreements, we may not reach new agreements without union action in certain jurisdictions and any such new agreements may not be on terms satisfactory to us. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable collective bargaining agreements, we may become subject to union-initiated work stoppages, including strikes. In addition, additional groups of employees may seek union representation in the future.

An increase in labor costs could adversely affect our results of operations. Most of the factors affecting labor costs are beyond our control and we may not be able to offset increased labor costs. A shortage of qualified employees, inflationary pressure on wages, increases in minimum wages or union-agreed wages in any of the jurisdictions in which we operate could increase labor costs and have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and SEC rules and regulations could materially impact our reported results.

U.S. GAAP and SEC accounting and reporting changes are common and have become more frequent and significant in the past several years. These changes could have significant effects on our reported results when compared to prior periods and to other companies, and may even require us to retrospectively revise prior periods from time to time. Additionally, material changes to the presentation of transactions in the consolidated financial statements could impact key ratios that analysts and credit rating agencies use to rate our Company, increase our cost of borrowing, and ultimately our ability to access the credit markets in an efficient manner.

Our financial results are based upon estimates and assumptions that may differ from actual results.

In preparing our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, we make estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. These estimates and assumptions must be made due to certain information used in the preparation of our financial statements that is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with a high degree of precision from data available, or is not capable of being readily calculated based on generally accepted methodologies. We believe that accounting for long-lived assets, defined benefit plans, share-based compensation, contingencies and litigation, and income taxes involves the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. Actual results for all estimates could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use, which could have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We have a significant amount of goodwill and other intangible assets, and a write down would adversely impact our results of operations and shareholders’ equity.

At December 31, 2025, the carrying value of the goodwill and intangible assets of our continuing operations was approximately $5.2 billion. We are required to evaluate our goodwill for impairment annually, or more frequently when evidence of potential impairment exists. The impairment test requires us to analyze a number of factors and make estimates that require judgment. As a result of this testing, we have in the past recognized goodwill impairment charges, and we have identified two reporting units, Metal Packaging EMEA and Global Paper Products APAC, that are currently at risk of a future impairment charge if each does not perform in line with management’s expectations, or if there is a negative change in the long-term financial outlook or in other factors such as each reporting unit’s particular discount rate used. Total goodwill associated with the Metal Packaging EMEA and Global Paper Products APAC reporting units was $1.4 billion at December 31, 2025. Future changes in the cost of capital, expected cash flows, changes in our business strategy, and external market conditions, among other factors, could require us to record an impairment charge for goodwill, which could lead to decreased assets and reduced net income. If a significant write down were required, the charge could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and shareholders’ equity.

20 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

Full realization of our deferred tax assets may be affected by a number of factors.

We have deferred tax assets, including United States and foreign operating loss carryforwards, capital loss carryforwards, employee and retiree benefit items, foreign tax credits, and other accruals not yet deductible for tax purposes. We have established valuation allowances to reduce those deferred tax assets to an amount that we believe is more likely than not to be realized prior to expiration of such deferred tax assets. Our ability to use these deferred tax assets depends in part upon our having future taxable income during the periods in which these temporary differences reverse or our ability to carry back any losses created by the deduction of these temporary differences. We expect to realize these assets over an extended period. However, if we were unable to generate sufficient future taxable income in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, or if there were a significant change in the time period within which the underlying temporary differences became taxable or deductible, we could be required to increase our valuation allowances against our deferred tax assets, which would increase our effective tax rate which could have a material and adverse effect on our reported results of operations.

Our annual effective tax rate and the amount of taxes we pay can change materially as a result of changes in U.S. and foreign tax laws, changes in the mix of our U.S. and foreign earnings, adjustments to our estimates for the potential outcome of any uncertain tax issues, and audits by federal, state and foreign tax authorities.

As a large multinational corporation, we are subject to U.S. federal, state and local, and many foreign tax laws and regulations, all of which are complex and subject to significant change and varying interpretations. Tax laws and regulations are continuously evolving with corporate tax reform, base-erosion efforts, global minimum tax, and increased transparency continuing to be high priorities in many tax jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, on July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBBA”) was signed into law in the United States. The OBBBA includes a broad range of tax reform provisions and extends certain provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. While we do not currently anticipate any material effect on our effective tax rate, financial results, or cash flows for 2026 arising from the OBBBA, any changes in tax laws or regulations, or any change in the position of taxing authorities regarding their application, administration or interpretation, could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or results of our operations.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) has issued the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) Pillar II rules which generally provide for multinational organizations to have a minimum effective corporate tax rate of 15% in each jurisdiction in which they operate. While it is uncertain whether the United States will enact legislation to adopt Pillar II, certain countries in which we operate have enacted legislation, and other countries have introduced legislation to implement the minimum tax directive. Many aspects of Pillar II were effective for us in 2025, with additional components becoming effective in 2026.

On January 5, 2026, the OECD announced the implementation of a side-by-side (“SbS”) system, which allows U.S.-parented multinationals to be exempt from certain components of the GMT due to having an eligible taxation system already in place under existing U.S. tax rules. The SbS system is effective for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. As each country in which we operate evaluates their alignment with the recommendations and enacts GMT rules, the ultimate impact of any such changes on our effective tax rate remains uncertain.

We do not currently anticipate any material effect on our effective tax rate, financial results or cash flows for fiscal 2025 based on currently enacted laws as a result of Pillar II; however, our analysis is ongoing as the OECD continues to release additional guidance and countries enact legislation. To the extent additional legislative changes take place in the countries in which we operate, it is possible that these changes may yield an adverse impact on our effective tax rate, financial results and cash flows.

In the United States, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “Inflation Reduction Act”), which was signed into law on August 16, 2022, includes a number of provisions that may impact us in the future, including a 1% excise tax on share repurchases. In addition, our products, and our customers’ products, are subject to import and excise duties and/or sales or value-added taxes in many jurisdictions in which we operate. Increases in these indirect taxes could affect the affordability of our products and our customers’ products, and, therefore, reduce demand.

Due to widely varying tax rates in the taxing jurisdictions applicable to our business, a change in income generation to higher taxing jurisdictions or away from lower taxing jurisdictions may also have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We make estimates of the potential outcome of uncertain tax issues based on our assessment of relevant risks and facts and circumstances existing at the time, and we use these assessments to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes and other tax-related accounts. These estimates are highly judgmental. Although we believe we adequately provide for any reasonably foreseeable outcome related to these matters, future results may include favorable or unfavorable adjustments to estimated tax liabilities, which may cause our effective tax rate to fluctuate significantly.

In addition, our income tax returns are subject to regular examination by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These taxing authorities may disagree with the positions we have taken or intend to take regarding the tax treatment or characterization of any of our transactions. If any tax authorities were to successfully challenge the tax treatment or characterization of any of our transactions, it could have a material and adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or results of our operations. Furthermore, regardless of whether any such challenge is resolved in our favor, the final resolution of such matter could be expensive and time consuming to defend or settle. Future changes in tax law could significantly impact our provision for income taxes, the amount of taxes payable, and our deferred tax asset and liability balances.

21 FORM 10-K SONOCO 2025 ANNUAL REPORT

If we fail to continue to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, and may be required to restate previously published financial information, which could have a material and adverse effect on our operations, investor confidence in our business and the trading prices of our securities.

Effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable financial reports and to assist in the effective prevention of fraud. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud could harm our business. We are required to assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting annually, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We need to maintain our processes and systems and adapt them as our business grows and changes. This continuous process of maintaining and adapting our internal controls and complying with Section 404 is expensive, time-consuming and requires significant management attention. As we grow our businesses and acquire other businesses, our internal controls will become increasingly complex and we may require significantly more resources. The integration of acquired businesses into our internal control over financial reporting has required, and will continue to require, significant time and resources from our management and other personnel and will increase our compliance costs. Additionally, maintaining effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting is made more challenging by the fact that as of December 31, 2025, we had approximately 166 subsidiaries and joint ventures in 37 countries around the world. There is no assurance that, in the future, material weaknesses will not be identified that would cause management to change its current conclusion as to the effectiveness of our internal controls. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties or litigation. In addition, failure to maintain adequate internal controls could result in financial statements that do not accurately reflect our financial condition, and we may be required to restate previously published financial information, which could have a material and adverse effect on our operations, investor confidence in our business and the trading prices of our securities.

Our disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls may not prevent or detect all errors or acts of fraud.

We designed our disclosure controls and procedures to reasonably assure that information we must disclose in reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management and recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. We believe that any disclosure controls and procedures or internal controls and procedures, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by an unauthorized override of the controls. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in our control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.