Origin Materials develops “world’s first” tethered PET beverage cap for monomaterial circularity

09 May 2024 --- Origin Materials has unveiled “the world’s first” tethered PET cap in a bid to enhance recycling, enable monomaterial containers, lighter packaging and improve product shelf life.

“Cap tethering mandates are coming into effect later this year in Europe through the EU Single-use Plastic Directive. Further mandates are anticipated worldwide,” says Origin co-founder and co-CEO John Bissell.

“Tethered caps are designed to stay connected to the container and thereby improve cap collection rates for recycling. We have already seen strong demand for our tethered caps, which we have developed in conjunction with our PET caps and closures initiative, while the regulatory environment continues to evolve and incentivize tethered solutions.”

Origin recently partnered with a machinery producer for a PET cap and closure system and announced the initial product offering from its all-PET caps and closures manufacturing breakthrough — the “world’s lightest” CSD (carbonated soft drink) cap compatible with the PCO 1881 neck finish. 

The company anticipates the availability of its caps in Q4 2024, with tethered cap variants to follow soon after. Origin’s high-throughput production system will make the PET caps and closures commercially available. 

“Our PET caps and closures are a leap forward in packaging, improving recyclability, enabling light-weighting, expanding the use of recycled content and extending product shelf life while addressing a greater than US$65 billion market,” says the company.

Origin’s CSD PET caps are said to be the “first-of-its-kind” ever to be commercially produced with 100% PET and able to be created with either virgin or rPET.Commercializing PET caps
Bissel notes that Origin’s PET caps boast superior performance compared to traditional caps made of high-density PE or PP, extending product shelf life, enabling lightweight packaging and facilitating recycled PET (rPET) content.

“Our technology enables monomaterial tethered PET products, meaning cap and container are both PET and can be recycled together seamlessly with no need to separate the two material streams, offering clear advantages when tethering,” states Bissel. 

“Third, more PET in the recycling stream means higher value bales of recycled material, which is good for recyclers and increases the supply of recycled PET. Fourth, our solution can expand the use of recycled content — specifically rPET — something global beverage brands are eager to do.”

“We are enhancing the circularity of the recycling system in ways that were previously thought to be impossible,” adds Bissell.

Meanwhile, the company’s CSD PET caps are said to be the “first-of-its-kind” ever to be commercially produced with 100% PET and able to be created with either virgin or rPET. 

“Our innovation in the design and manufacturing of PET closures, including closures made with recycled PET, has enabled us to pursue solutions previously thought to be impossible, and an 1881 compatible CSD PET cap is certainly one of them,” says Bissell.

“Now that we have unlocked the use of PET and rPET for use in F&B and home goods closures, we can bring the benefits to a range of products — benefits like improving recycling, extending product shelf life, using less plastic through light-weighting, decreasing manufacturing waste during the bottling process and expanding the use of recycled material.”

By Radhika Sikaria