Origin Materials, the West Sacramento maker of PET bottle caps and other carbon‑negative packaging, is cutting local staff at its Riverside Parkway facility by what executives call “a little more than half” as part of a sweeping companywide reorganization. The move will sharply shrink the plant’s headcount as the company doubles down on commercializing its mono‑material PET caps, a bet leadership is pitching as a cash‑preserving, product‑focused reset rather than an exit from the region.
Company realignment and finances
In a Form 8‑K filed with the SEC, Origin said its board approved an organizational realignment implemented Feb. 11 that will cut roughly 32% of the company’s global workforce, trim annual operating expenses from about $40 million to $29 million, and result in roughly $900,000 in restructuring charges. The filing and attached press release say Origin expects its 1881 PET “pressurized water” caps to be delivered to multiple marquee beverage brands in Q1 2026 for continued acceptance testing, and that the company will limit CapFormer line builds to the six already procured while pursuing non‑dilutive financing and strategic options as it aims for adjusted EBITDA run‑rate breakeven in 2027.
Local impact in West Sacramento
As reported by the Sacramento Bee, the West Sacramento facility employed about 100 people, and CEO John Bissell told the paper that “about 40 people” will probably remain, a reduction the Bee characterized as “little more than half.” Those local numbers mark a steep pullback at the Riverside Parkway site as Origin tightens production and staffing to support its caps business. Workers at the plant have been involved in pilot production and CapFormer testing, roles the company says it will concentrate where they best support commercial launches.
Caps are the company’s bet
Origin has staked its near‑term future on a mono‑material PET cap that can be recycled with its bottle, a move the company says could improve bottle‑to‑bottle circularity and challenge the traditional closures market, as Origin Materials notes. The company and its partners say the first products with Origin caps reached California shelves in August 2025, and broader customer acceptance testing is underway ahead of larger orders…