Goal: Development of Polystyrene Containing Recycling Material for Use in the Dairy Industry

US-headquartered manufacturer of plastics, latex, and synthetic rubber Trinseo collaborates with Coexpan, the Grupo Lantero division that specializes in the manufacture of rigid plastic foils and thermoformed products, to provide solutions for the packaging industry at a global level.

The two companies aim to validate various polystyrene recycling technologies “to develop polystyrene containing recycled content that is fit for use in the global dairy industry’s form fill seal (“FFS”) market”. With materials and input supplied by Trinseo, Coexpan will be testing recycled polystyrene across various technologies at its Innotech (Coexpan & Emsur Innovation Technology Center for Rigid and Flexible Packaging).As reported, the dairy FFS packaging market, which has historically preferred the use of polystyrene due to its technical superiority over alternative polymers, has recently seen greater interest in alternative materials owing to misperceptions regarding the circularity and recyclability of polystyrene. Trinseo and Coexpan regard recycled polystyrene (r-PS) as a game-changer for the FFS market. “Polystyrene offers a unique potential for not only closed-loop recycling but also a lower carbon footprint and extended lifecycle due to its simplicity and ease to fully recycle, giving polystyrene a major competitive advantage vs. all alternatives.” Industrial volumes would come online by the third quarter of 2022.

www.trinseo.com
www.coexpan.com

(GR32020, Page 13, Photo: Squirrel_photos / Pixabay)