Packaging Gateway

Daily Newsletter

08 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

Origin Materials produces PET bottle caps

The sustainable caps may be produced with any type of PET, from recycled to bio-based and carbon negative virgin PET.

Carbon negative materials company Origin Materials has developed ‘all PET’ (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle caps to improve post-consumer recycling.

According to the company, PET offers a better oxygen and CO₂barrier than HDPE and PP, which are materials commonly used for caps.

The PET caps are aimed at the global caps and closures market, and will enter the PET market which is expected to grow at an AAGR of more than 5% by 2027.

Cap tethering mandates, designed to incentivise the recoverability and recyclability of bottles, could further increase the demand for sustainable caps and closures. Tethering mandates require that caps remain firmly attached to bottles after opening and during the product's life cycle, with the aim of reducing plastic litter on beaches and in the ocean.

While traditional caps must be separated from PET bottles during recycling, Origin’s PET caps would reportedly not need to be separated from their tethered containers and therefore could be recycled simply and easily.

Origin Materials’ co-CEO and co-founder John Bissell commented: “An all-PET bottle and cap and closure system is an obvious, necessary next step in beverage packaging and recycling.”

The company recently collaborated with Husky Technologies to commercialise PET with the sustainable chemical FCDA for advanced packaging.

Generative AI remains an untapped potential across the consumer industry

GlobalData estimates the total AI market will be worth $909 billion in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 35.2% between 2022 and 2030. The consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors are undergoing digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and changing consumer preferences. AI can help companies operating in these sectors by significantly reducing costs and production times. In Nestlé's 2022 full-year results, the company announced a renewed focus on digitalization to drive growth. Financial and reputational pressures associated with supply chain disruptions and sustainability concerns are also driving interest in the digitalization of supply chains. Data science and ML are strong investments across all areas. However, the sectors cannot stop at AI-powered data analytics applications. They must also explore computer vision (CV), smart robots, AI sensors that automate manufacturing and distribution logistics, and generative AI tools that increase efficiency across corporate departments and customer service operations and enable innovation in product design. For the most part, the consumer goods, foodservice, and packaging sectors will not play a significant role in creating and developing AI hardware or platforms. Instead, these sectors will help scale up the adoption of AI technologies, such as CV, conversational platforms, and smart robots. This adoption will be driven by the financial benefits and potential cost savings AI automation delivers across global supply chains.