ATC Plastics, a maker of black color concentrates for the plastics industry, has struck a deal with Origin Materials, which has developed a platform for turning carbon found in non-food biomass such as wood residues into useful materials while capturing carbon in the process. As part of the partnership, ATC Plastics has agreed to purchase Origin’s sustainable carbon black.

Origin’s carbon black is a 100% bio-content filler and pigment that can be used in a range of applications, including belts and hoses, mechanical rubber goods, tires, plastic masterbatch, and toners.

Masterbatch is a target application of the agreement, which includes co-development of carbon black for plastic corrugated pipe and plastic extrusion and molding applications.

The carbon black is produced from sustainable wood residues, reducing carbon emissions and fossil resource consumption and enabling the production of carbon-negative products, said Origin in the press release. Its technology platform can provide stable pricing largely decoupled from the petroleum supply chain, which is exposed to more volatility than supply chains based on sustainable wood residues, according to the company.

The global market for carbon black is projected to reach $26 billion by 2025, expanding at 6% CAGR, according to Grand View Research Inc. Plastics is anticipated to be the fastest-growing application for carbon black from 2019 to 2025 resulting from its use in the production of high-performance products.

It’s hoped that the partnership with ATC Plastics, which produces black color concentrates at silos in Houston, TX, for global distribution, will help broaden adoption of Origin’s technology platform. “We are thrilled to partner with ATC Plastics, a trusted partner and distributor to global brands with a strong track record of manufacturing excellence,” said Rich Riley, co-CEO of Origin Materials. “ATC Plastics’ manufacturing capabilities and expansive customer network can . . . help drive the ‘once in a planet’ shift to sustainable materials, including renewable carbon black across the plastic compounding industry,” said Riley.

The partnership comes at an opportune moment, noted ATC Plastics, as carbon black is in very tight supply.