Origin Materials’ journey began in 2008 in West Sacramento, California, USA, with the idea of discovering potential where others had long given up and changing the world in the process. Since its founding by students of the University of California, Davis, the company has been applying “first principles thinking” to challenging and rewarding problems in materials and sustainability.
Boldly Rethinking PET Bottle Caps
Origin Materials has come a long way. After years of development, the breakthrough in PET closures had been launched: the first commercially scalable bottle cap made from thermoformed PET instead of the usual injection-molded HDPE. “It’s a state-of-the-art application of thermoforming and proprietary design that enables the use of PET for commercial scale cap manufacturing. In other words, it’s a bottle cap. But when it opens, you’re opening so much more than a drink: you’re opening a world of possibilities product performance and better recycling,” says CEO John Bissell. The PET caps are not only lighter, but also promote the recyclability of the entire bottle. If the cap is made of the same recyclable material as the bottle itself, it will be easier to recycle.
A partnership for success
High quality sheet is an important aspect of PET cap production, so finding the right partner and system for sheet production was key to Origin’s success. With its 20 years of experience in recycling and sheet extrusion plant engineering, Starlinger viscotec is able to support Origin Materials in its goal of improving the environment. Bissell added: “For Origin and our PET cap manufacturing processes, Starlinger viscotec has been a trusted partner. They offer strong technical ability contributing to high-quality sheet, they are easy to work with, and they have deep expertise in the recycling space. We look forward to more fruitful collaboration ahead as we greatly expand our manufacturing capability.” ViscoSTAR reactors are used to pre-treat the material in order to achieve food safety and an increase the intrinsic viscosity of the material. This is followed by the extrusion of sheets using the viscoSHEET extrusion systems. Finally, Origin’s CapFormer system thermoforms the cap itself.
The successful partnership is set to continue in the future:
Origin Materials is planning more systems to address continued inquiries for the PET caps. They are already receiving an increasing number of inquiries from various beverage manufacturers, including companies on the Forbes 500 list. “We are excited for what’s to come,” Bissell says. “Looking ahead, we expect to ramp the production volume of our first CapFormer lines over time, with additional CapFormer systems being manufactured and tested on an ongoing basis“.
"Thermoformed PET caps are not only lighter,
but also promote the recyclability of the entire bottle."
JOHN BISSELL
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO
