Mass Production Partnership for All PET Caps Announced

Origin Materials announced an agreement with injection molder Reed City Group, to produce PET bottle closures at commercial scale. The availability of PET caps is expected to enable water and carbonated brands to adopt an all-PET container design, increasing their value as a feedstock for recycling. HDPE and PP closures that are currently in wide use have lower value for recyclers.

In Reed City Group’s Michigan facilities, the companies will operate Origin PET cap and closure commercial manufacturing lines. The lines will convert virgin and recycled PET into caps using high-speed equipment and automation.

“Together with Reed City Group we expect to begin mass production of PET caps for the North American region later this year,” says Origin co-CEO and co-founder John Bissell. “We look forward to partnering with the Reed City Group team of over 200 people, including skilled machinists, mechanical engineers and operations professionals with impressive capabilities in toolmaking and cleanroom manufacturing.”

Bissell adds: “Our Reed City Group partnership enables a geographic expansion complementary to our previously announced mass production capability based in Europe. We are thrilled to announce this new member of our PET cap manufacturing ecosystem.”

Reed City Group CEO Guy Boitos, says; “Our company has a long-standing commitment to innovation and bringing our two companies together to fulfill the market needs of sustainable products is a natural fit. We are eager to partner with Origin for this transformative project for years to come.”

Origin says that its PCO 1881-compatible caps, which can be made with virgin or  recycled PET, will be available beginning in Q4 2024, with PCO 1881- compatible tethered caps and other cap types to follow afterward.