INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has taken a step closer to offering recycled polystyrene at commercial scale.

Earlier this year, INEOS Styrolution announced its successful test run in producing polystyrene from recycled material¹. Six months since, the company produced its first small batches of chemically recycled polystyrene at its facility in Antwerp and provided sheets containing 50% of recycled GPPS to Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller, a leader in dairy products. The Group has now produced yoghurt cups from this recycled material.

INEOS Styrolution and Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller are collaborating on a joint project to develop a circular solution for polystyrene based on chemical recycling². The two companies had agreed on a phased approach with a lab-scale phase to start this year, a pilot-scale phase starting in 2020 and a commercial-scale phase in 2022.

Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller’s packaging development department appreciates the similarity in the quality and aesthetics of the yoghurt cups made from conventional polystyrene and the recycled polystyrene provided by INEOS Styrolution.

Michiel Verswyvel, Global R&D Expert, comments: “We are thrilled to observe that the recycled polystyrene material matches the quality and properties of our material made from conventional polystyrene.  Our next step is to scale up the use of recycled styrene in our products to several thousand tonnes in 2021”.

INEOS Styrolution’s developments in chemical recycling has been recognised with the company being chosen joint winner of the ICIS Innovation Awards in the category “Innovation with Best Benefit for Environment and Sustainability”. The company’s demonstration of a closed loop solution by polymerising styrene from depolymerised polystyrene was selected as it showed a distinct benefit to the environment and to the sustainability of the company and its customers.

Rob Buntinx, President EMEA, summarises: “We are delighted to reach yet another milestone in our path to develop closed loop solutions for our styrenics products for our customers. Our successful collaboration with Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller as well as the award from ICIS show that we are definitely on the right track. We will continue to work closely with our customers and all partners in the value chain to develop innovative products and solutions to meet their sustainability targets.”

INEOS Styrolution’s is present at the K 2019, the major trade fair for plastics and rubber, held in Düsseldorf, Germany from 16 to 23 October. INEOS Styrolution’s exhibit focusses on innovative and sustainable solutions and features several recycled products and solutions including recycled yoghurt cups from Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller.