CAPS & CLOSURES 29 PETplanet Insider Vol. 27 No. 01+02/26 www.petpla.net Additional CapFormer Systems are in various stages of fabrication and deployment, with six lines having completed Factory Acceptance Testing, which involves a series of tests to verify that the systems meet Origin’s specifications and function as intended. Efficiency multipliers, waste elimination In 2025 Origin developed new tooling to increase the number of PET caps produced per hour. The company started developing PET caps with “1 up” and “6 up” moulds, capable of producing one and six caps at a time. With CapFormer 1, production increased to 36 up, and CapFormer 2 reached 64 up, meaning each thermoforming cycle produces 64 caps. The “skeleton,” or PET material remaining between the caps, is reduced and can feed back into the extrusion system to make new sheet. Origin is also developing a 100up cavity to further increase throughput and reduce leftover material. The year also included the implementation of vertical integration for PET cap production in Reed City, Michigan. Origin is establishing a PET extrusion system, to create PET sheet onsite beginning with PET pellets or flake. Excess PET skeleton material is fed back into the extruder, resulting in zero PET waste in the system. Origin expects the extrusion system to supply enough PET sheet to feed multiple lines continuously. Global partnerships Origin partners with companies like Illig, PackSys Global, and IMDvista, all of which provide CapFormer subsystems and expertise. In July 2025, Origin announced a partnership with Royal Hordijk, building the foundation for European PET cap production complementary to the PET cap production already underway in North America with Reed City Group. European production is likely to benefit from Origin’s technology for producing tethered caps; in May 2024, Origin announced a prototype tethered PET cap, which could become the world’s first mass produced tethered PET closure. In August 2025, Origin confirmed Berlin Packaging as a customer. In addition to purchasing PET 1881 caps from Origin, Berlin will market and distribute Origin’s PET caps to its broad customer base, which includes major beverage companies. The partnership highlights the adoption of PET caps, which can support lighter packaging, extended shelf life, and mono-material containers designed for improved recyclability and circularity. PET cap formats Looking ahead, Origin expects to make PET caps in a wide variety of formats for not only beverage containers but food, cosmetics, and other large format packaging. CapForming technology supports the development of many cap formats. The company states that recycling and product performance both can benefit from the adoption of PET caps and, thanks to the manufacturing advantages of CapForming, larger format closures are anticipated to be economically advantageous to produce at high speeds. www.originmaterials.com
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