INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has introduced a lineup of commercially available sustainable polystyrene products that is second to none. The new products provide customers a choice to select the best fit for their application. The complete lineup introduced today follows initial announcements on mechanicallyrecycled polystyrene solutions in 2021¹. The new “ECO” products offer the performance of the respective virgin products, but with a significantly lower CO2 footprint. All products are drop-in solutions.

INEOS Styrolution’s polystyrene portfolio includes general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) resins and impact modified polystyrene (HIPS) resins. GPPS resins are transparent polymers suitable for injection molding or extrusion applications. They are typically used for food service, food packaging, refrigerator components, building & construction and healthcare applications. HIPS resins, also suitable for extrusion and injection molding, are typically used for yoghurt cups, food packaging, electronic devices and durable fridge liners.

INEOS Styrolution’s portfolio of sustainable polystyrene solutions consists of recycling solutions and bio-attributed polystyrene.

Recycling solutions²

INEOS Styrolution offers today mechanically-recycled polystyrene with properties that make downcycling unnecessary. Products come as drop-in solutions to customers’ existing production processes. Thus, investments into new equipment are not needed, processes do not need to be re-evaluated, and no downtime in production is required.

All of INEOS Styrolution’s mechanically-recycled polystyrene products for food contact applications contain 100% post-consumer recycled content, and the Styrolution® PS ECO 440FC grade produced from household food packaging waste is available with a food contact statement supplied by INEOS Styrolution.

Louie Mackee, Commercial Product Manager for Sustainable Products, INEOS Styrolution says: “This is a major step forward. Food contact applications can be recycled back to the same application through mechanical recycling. After tackling the most demanding food contact applications, we plan to further look into mechanical recycling solutions for the household and construction industries.”

Bio-attributed polystyrene 

INEOS Styrolution’s new bio-attributed polystyrene products are made from styrene sourced from renewable ISCC-certified feedstock. Using this new feedstock as a replacement for fossilbased feedstock results in a substantial greenhouse gas saving compared to conventional polystyrene, and the product carbon footprint of bio-attributed Styrolution® PS ECO is at least carbon neutral or even better (offering a negative carbon footprint). All INEOS Styrolution’s bioattributed polystyrene products are produced according to an ISCC-certified mass balance approach.

Bio-attributed polystyrene products can be recognised by the suffix “B100” in their name, where “100” indicates that an amount of ISCC-certified bio-feedstock equivalent to 100% of the product is attributed to the final material. (If desired, customers can achieve a lower bio-attributed content in their final product by mixing the B100 material with an appropriate quantity of conventional polystyrene.)

All of INEOS Styrolution’s bio-attributed products have identical physical and mechanical properties as their fossil-based counterparts, as well as all the same regulatory documents available. Therefore, when switching to INEOS Styrolution’s bio-attributed products, no new material approval processes are required. The bio-attributed GPPS product “Styrolution® PS ECO 168N B100”, for example, is identical to the existing “Styrolution® PS 168N” material, but with 100% of the feedstock attributed from ISCC-certified sources.

Mackee continues: “While the mechanical recycling process helps prevent valuable feedstock ending up in landfill or being incinerated, ISCC-certified bio-attribution can offer an alternative route to production with a significantly lower product carbon footprint. Early access customers have already successfully started the production of food contact applications with our new materials.”

¹ See “INEOS Styrolution offers mechanically recycled polystyrene developed in close collaboration with TOMRA”, http://www.ineos-styrolution.com/…

² For INEOS Styrolution’s PS ECO solutions in Asia, see also http://www.ineosstyrolution. com/news/INEOS-Styrolution-introduces-new-Styrolution-PS-ECO-grade-in-Asia