The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Origin Materials, a company specialising in the development of carbon-negative materials, has launched the Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) PET Cap, said to be the lightest cap of its kind ever produced commercially. This innovation marks a key advancement in sustainable packaging solutions, promising enhanced recycling circularity, lighter packaging and improved product shelf life. The newly launched PET cap, compatible with the PCO 1881 neck finish, is the "world’s first" to be manufactured entirely from PET material, whether virgin or recycled (rPET). This achievement is poised to revolutionise the beverage packaging industry, particularly in the CSD sector, known for its widespread use of the PCO 1881 finish. John Bissell, co-founder and co-CEO of Origin, said: “There are hundreds of different kinds of caps and closures in container packaging. But the PCO 1881 neck finish is considered a leading standard for carbonated soft drinks and is often used for other products such as juices or even still or sparkling water. Because of the ubiquity of bottles using the PCO 1881 finish, it’s an area where our 100% PET cap can make a tremendous difference by improving recycling circularity and product performance in a massive market.” He continued: “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. Now that we have unlocked the use of PET and rPET for use in food, beverage, 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.” Origin’s PET cap boasts a lightweight design without compromising performance, leveraging the superior mechanical properties of PET compared to traditional materials like HDPE and PP. Furthermore, the design incorporates tamper evidence features, ensuring both functionality and user satisfaction. “Our caps and closures platform enables mono material solutions – just one material, PET, the most recycled plastic – from cap to bottom for a wide range of product types,” added Bissell. “Until now, PET was ubiquitous in packaging, except for the caps and closures. We are changing that, by enabling the production of closures with any kind of PET material, whether it’s virgin PET, recycled PET, or bio-based PET.” Origin anticipates the commercial availability of its PET caps and closures, produced at commercial scale, by Q4 2024. This solution is expected to address sustainability challenges in the packaging industry while catering to a market valued at over $65 billion.