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Employee benefit plans - Additional Information (Details)	12 Months Ended			141 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2022 USD ($) year participant	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2021
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined benefit plans, accumulated benefit obligation	$ 347,608,000	$ 504,944,000
Projected benefit obligation (PBO) with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets	176,702,000	228,127,000
Accumulated benefit obligation (ABO) with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets	171,705,000	223,657,000
Fair value of plan assets for pension plans with accumulated benefit obligations in excess of plan assets	48,277,000	61,686,000
Projected contributions to retirement plan	$ 15,000,000
Percentage of retiree health liability	96.00%
Total postretirement benefit plan assets	$ 265,875,000	$ 431,047,000
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	92.00%
U.K.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	100.00%	100.00%
Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	100.00%	100.00%
United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	100.00%	100.00%
Equity securities \| U.K.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current target allocation for investment portfolio	20.00%
Equity securities \| Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current target allocation for investment portfolio	28.00%
Debt securities \| U.K.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current target allocation for investment portfolio	80.00%
Debt securities \| Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current target allocation for investment portfolio	72.00%
Sonoco Savings Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined contribution plan contribution percentage, minimum	1.00%
Defined contribution plan contribution percentage, maximum	100.00%
Defined contribution plan, employer matching contribution (percent)	100.00%
Employer matching contribution, percent of employees' gross pay (percent)	6.00%
Percentage of participants modified matching contribution to be matched towards safe Harbor under companies savings plan				50.00%
Modify matching employee contribution to profit sharing under companies savings plan				4.00%
Companies expense related to the plan	$ 38,900,000	$ 13,900,000	$ 13,700,000
Sonoco Investment and Retirement Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Companies expense related to the plan	$ 0	22,914,000	23,505,000
Contribution rate of annual eligible earnings under companies investment and retirement plan	4.00%
Contribution rate of annual eligible earnings in excess of social security wage base under companies investment and retirement plan	4.00%
Vesting period	3 years
Age limit of participants (year) \| year	55
Cash contributions to the SIRP	$ 21,948,000	22,665,000	22,503,000
Retirement Plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets	253,125,000	417,105,000	1,799,109,000
Retirement Plans \| Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Non-cash settlement charges	$ 479,000	$ 11,984,000
Retirement Plans \| Equity securities \| U.K.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	22.60%	32.80%
Retirement Plans \| Equity securities \| Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	34.00%	33.60%
Retirement Plans \| Equity securities \| United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	23.40%	23.50%
Retirement Plans \| Debt securities \| U.K.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	76.30%	66.60%
Retirement Plans \| Debt securities \| Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	66.00%	66.40%
Retirement Plans \| Debt securities \| United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	72.90%	72.00%
Retirement Plans \| Cash and short-term investments \| U.K.
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	1.10%	0.60%
Retirement Plans \| Cash and short-term investments \| Canada
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	0.00%	0.00%
Retirement Plans \| Cash and short-term investments \| United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	3.70%	4.50%
Retirement Plans \| Inactive Plan Investment Portfolio
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected contributions to retirement plan	$ 124,432,000
Expected settlement charge	$ 538,722,000
Number of participants \| participant	11,000
Retirement Plans \| Active Plan Investment Portfolio
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Number of participants \| participant	700
Retirement Plans \| Active Plan Investment Portfolio \| Equity securities \| United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current target allocation for investment portfolio	20.00%
Retirement Plans \| Active Plan Investment Portfolio \| Debt securities \| United States
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current target allocation for investment portfolio	80.00%
Retiree Health and Life Insurance Plans
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets	$ 12,750,000	$ 13,942,000	$ 14,026,000
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	100.00%	100.00%
Retiree Health and Life Insurance Plans \| Equity securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	0.00%	0.00%
Retiree Health and Life Insurance Plans \| Debt securities
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	100.00%	100.00%
Retiree Health and Life Insurance Plans \| Cash and short-term investments
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Total postretirement benefit plan assets (percent)	0.00%	0.00%