Origin Materials, a carbon-negative product manufacturer, has partnered with Avantium, a leading technology company specializing in advanced R&D for applications in the energy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, to accelerate the mass production of Furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and Polyethylene Furanoate (PEF) for use in advanced chemicals and plastics.

The partnership aims to combine Origin's carbon-negative technology platform—which transforms carbon in sustainable wood residues into materials like chloromethyl furfural (CMF)—with Avantium's YXY Technology to convert derivatives of Origin's CMF into FDCA, the polymer PEF's building component.

The produced PEF is expected to be 100% plant-based, fully recyclable, will have favorable unit economics, and will offer a significantly reduced carbon footprint with superior strength and thermal and barrier properties.

Origin would receive access to relevant parts of Avantium's process technology to produce FDCA at a 100 metric kilotons per annum scale facility. Further, under the terms of the transaction, Avantium received an upfront payment of EUR 5 million in 2022 and an additional payment of EUR 7.5 million for signing the licensing agreement; it may additionally receive further payments based on the achievement of certain developmental milestones.