January 3, 2025 14:10

The first yogurt cups made from mechanically recycled polystyrene, used in direct contact with food rather than with a functional barrier, will appear on Lidl supermarket shelves in Germany early this year. This achievement is the result of extensive research, development, and authorization efforts led by Ineos Styrolution in collaboration with several industry partners.

The mechanical recycling process for polystyrene involves multiple stages, starting with the sorting of packaging waste using near-infrared optical technology and object recognition. This is followed by hot washing, flake selection, melt filtration, and pelletizing.

A critical component of the process is the "super-clean process" developed by Ineos Styrolution and reviewed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), enabling the production of food-grade recycled material—a quality previously achievable only with PET recycled from bottles.

The recycled material offers the same physical properties as virgin polystyrene, ensuring a circular solution, the company said. Intensive quality checks were conducted on both the recycled material and the cups before submitting an application to EFSA.

A consumer acceptance test was conducted in the spring in collaboration with Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller, one of Germany's leading yogurt producers. Hundreds of cups made from recycled polystyrene were filled and distributed to volunteers at Ineos's cafeteria.
“Not only did 90% of 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 color other than today’s plain white would be completely acceptable,” the company said.

"Polystyrene has arrived in the 'Champions League' of recycled food-contact materials," said Frank Eisenträger, Eco and Market Development manager at Ineos Styrolution. "This is a milestone achievement on our path to perfect circularity for polystyrene cups and toward fulfilling the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), as well as our own CO2 footprint reduction targets."

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