Image courtesy of Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller

·         True circular economy: yoghurt cup to yoghurt cup. No downcycling.

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, announced today the successful completion of a first project with mechanically recycled polystyrene in a yoghurt cup. This milestone achievement was possible by the collaboration of multiple partners along the value chain.

The process of mechanical recycling of polystyrene is taking place in multiple steps from sorting (deep NIR sorting including object recognition) across hot washing and flake sorting to melt filtration and pelletising.

Key in the process is INEOS Styrolution’s “super clean process” which has been registered as a novel technology according to the EU regulation 2022/1616. With this process, INEOS Styrolution achieves food contact quality recyclates which before were only known from PET bottle recyclates.

The recycled material offers the same physical properties as conventionally produced polystyrene, enabling a perfect circular solution. Intensive quality controls were performed on both the material and the cups. Additionally, detailed analyses are required for the EFSA evaluation of this novel technology. Moreover, the environmental footprint of the recycled material is significantly lower than that of conventionally produced material.

A first consumer test on the acceptance of the recyclate containing cup and the cup color was conducted in spring 2024 in collaboration with Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller, one of Germany’s leading dairy manufacturers. Several hundred yoghurt cups made from recycled polystyrene were filled and offered to volunteers in an INEOS canteen to evaluate the innovation. Not only did 90% of the testers indicate they would buy the product, but they also shared feedback that a recycled cup could look different from conventionally produced ones. For example, a colour other than today’s plain white would be completely acceptable.

The new technology was presented at the “Dresdner Verpackungstage” [1] (5.-6. December 2024) by Lena Lembach, Senior Packaging Development, Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller, and Dr. Frank Eisenträger, ECO & Market Development Manager, INEOS Styrolution.

Dr. Frank Eisenträger says: “Polystyrene arrived in the champions league of recycled food contact materials. It will enable producers to meet the new requirements of the new EU directive PPWR for packaging and packaging waste.”

Lena Lembach states: “This is a milestone achievement on our common way to perfect circularity for polystyrene cups and towards fulfilment of the PPWR requirements as well as our own CO₂ footprint reduction targets.”

The yoghurts will arrive early next year on the shelves of Lidl supermarkets.

ENDS