Origin Materials creates sustainable bio-based or recycled PET bottle caps

Origin Materials, Inc. has created “all PET” (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle caps, making “100 per cent recycled PET” possible from cap to bottle to improve post-consumer recycling.

Origin’s PET caps are more sustainable than common alternatives because they may be produced with any type of PET, from recycled PET to Origin’s 100 per cent bio-based, carbon-negative virgin PET. PET offers better oxygen and CO2 barrier than HDPE and PP, common cap materials.

Origin’s patent-pending, cost-competitive design and manufacturing innovation aids in producing “mono-material” products. These are composed of only a single type of material, are typically easier to recycle than products made from multiple materials, and are highly sought-after for consumer packaged goods to improve recycling.

“We identified a global sustainability challenge and an opportunity to solve it,” said John Bissell, co-founder and co-CEO of Origin Materials. “An all-PET bottle and cap and closure system is an obvious, necessary next step in beverage packaging and recycling. With our process, we can make caps from 100 per cent recycled PET or 100 per cent bio-based PET, unlocking important sustainability and potentially performance benefits for our customers.”

Origin’s innovation is expected to begin to address an approximately $65 billion global caps and closures market, anticipated to grow to $96 billion by 2030.

“This is what happens when you bring together some of the best materials and polymer scientists and engineers in the world under one roof,” said Bissell. “We saw an obvious need for a mono-material solution and the creativity of our team rose to the challenge. I am proud that our team’s expertise in PET led to this tremendous advancement for recycling.”

Cap tethering mandates, designed to incentivize the recoverability and recyclability of bottles, could further increase the demand for Origin’s innovative caps and closures. Tethering mandates require that caps remain firmly attached to bottles after opening and during the product’s life cycle, with the aim of reducing plastic litter on beaches and in the ocean. While traditional caps must be separated from PET bottles during recycling, Origin’s PET caps would not need to be separated from their tethered containers and could thus be recycled simply and easily.