BOPET manufacturer Terphane, a subsidiary of U.S.-based Tredegar Corporation, and Sacramento-based carbon negative materials company Origin Materials, have entered into a strategic partnership to produce sustainable, high-performance bio-polymer films, the companies have announced.
BOPET is biaxially oriented PET, a stretched polymer film valued for its strength, transparency, barrier properties, and electrical insulation.
As part of the partnership, Terphane signed a multi-year capacity reservation agreement to purchase Origin’s bio-based polyester PEF. PEF can also be bi-axially oriented to form BOPEF. The company said it will use the PEF to develop a new film for such applications as food and beverage packaging and high-value industrial applications.
This new film will be partially made from PEF and have all the traditional properties of a regular PET film, including post-consumption recycling, said Marcos Vieira, global director of R&D for Terphane. ““The development of this film will be critical to our efforts to meet this new global demand for sustainable flexible packaging solutions,” he explained. “In addition, PEF provides an excellent thermal resistance and superior barrier performance, extending the shelf life of the packaged products.”
He added that initial tests in the U.S. proved the material works perfectly in extrusion lines.
PEF is one of the products produced through Origin Materials’ patented technology platform. Made from furandicarboxylic acid, the primary precursor to PEF, Origin PEF is expected to be 100% plant-based, fully recyclable, have attractive unit economics, and offer a significantly reduced carbon footprint, with superior strength, thermal properties, and barrier properties compared to conventional petroleum-based materials.
“This partnership represents further progress in Origin’s mission to enable the world’s transition to sustainable materials,” said Rich Riley, Co-CEO of Origin Materials.