News Release

INEOS Styrolution collaborates with Indaver aiming at a chemical recycling for polystyrene

07/09/19

Frankfurt, Germany


  • Collaboration to advance the circular economy for polystyrene
  • Targeting reduction of post-consumer polystyrene waste

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, announces today a collaboration with Indaver nv, a European waste management company with large-scale treatment facilities in the port of Antwerp headquartered in Belgium, driving forward chemical recycling for polystyrene in Europe.

The collaboration between the two companies aims at taking advantage of the recyclability of polystyrene to convert post-consumer waste in to valuable resources. It will benefit from Indaver’s intense testing of their depolymerisation and purification process and Indaver’s plans to set up Plastics2Chemicals, a demo-installation in the port of Antwerp, with a recycling capacity of 15,000 tonnes a year being operational in the first half of 2021. For the latest update on Indaver’s material recovery plans, visit https://www.indaver.com/be-en/innovation/materials-recovery/.

Indaver has a strong track record providing strong solutions to the chemical industry. The close vicinity of Indaver to the INEOS Styrolution site in Antwerp contributes to close collaboration.

The initial focus of the collaboration will be to fully align the output of Indaver’s depolymerisation process with feedstock specifications of INEOS Styrolution’s polymerisation process.

“Waste is not an end product. It is a phase in the lifecycle of a material. With the innovative Plastics2Chemicals project, Indaver develops a sustainable solution for plastic waste by recycling into high-grade materials. We are pleased to work with INEOS Styrolution as one of our preferred partners to use these recycled materials as a valuable alternative for virgin raw materials. This project is an example of the industry’s sustained commitment to help achieve the European objectives in valorizing plastics.” says Paul De Bruycker, CEO Indaver.

Rob Buntinx, President EMEA at INEOS Styrolution welcomes the collaboration: “Driving the circular economy for polystyrene forward is at the center of our activities at INEOS Styrolution. We believe that chemical recycling is a key cornerstone contributing to reducing post-consumer waste. I am excited to have found such a strong partner in Europe sharing our objectives and complementing our own skills.”

About Indaver

Indaver – a European player with facilities and operations in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Ireland – manages and treats industrial and household waste in specialist facilities for the industry, waste collectors and public authorities. Valuable raw materials are safely recovered from this waste to replace primary raw materials. By destroying or detoxifying hazardous substances in complex treatment installations, there is no risk of contamination of the food or materials chain. Also the energy that is released during treatment is supplied to third parties. Consequently, Indaver creates value from waste and helps to close the materials loop in a safe, low-carbon and energy-efficient manner. This makes Indaver the ideal partner for helping to realize a sustainable circular economy. In 2018, Indaver realized a turnover of 543 million euros together with its 1700 employees across Europe.

More information: www.indaver.com