Trinseo has unveiled a transparent recycled polystyrene resin featuring dissolution technology, designed for use in dairy containers, food trays, hot and cold drink cups, and other food-contact applications.
The resins are produced at Trinseo’s Schkopau facility. Making use of pre- and post-consumer polystyrene feedstocks from Heathland, they are said to contain 30% recycled polystyrene; Trinseo believes that they reduce the carbon footprint of their virgin equivalent by approximately 18%.
To validate the resin’s food safety and test the decontamination efficiency of its dissolution installation, Trinseo joined forces with the Fraunhofer Institute and conducted an EFSA Novel Technology Dossier – and, within it, a Challenge Test. Contaminants were added to the feedstock and the final product was analyzed.
This apparently revealed that the resins meet European food contact regulatory requirements, with Trinseo stating its commitment to monitoring resin and ensuring its compliance with EU Regulation 2022/1616.
“Polystyrene has long been the material of choice for various food contact applications, and we are very proud to be the first to launch recycled polystyrene for direct food contact using dissolution technology,” said Alain Minelli, global Product & Marketing director at Trinseo. “This technological innovation gives our customers a broader choice of sustainable solutions helping them to achieve recycled content targets such as those set forth by the European Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).”
The news comes after INEOS Styrolution announced that it would mechanically recycle polystyrene into yoghurt cups, which would then be sold at Lidl in early 2025. Apparently, the packaging has undergone ‘detailed’ analyses to complete an EFSA evaluation and offers a ‘significantly lower’ environmental footprint than a conventional polystyrene cup.
Meanwhile, Labelmaster packaging division DGeo and Altor Solutions subsidiary Lifoam Industries have integrated a biobased additive into temperature-controlled expanded polystyrene impact packaging; this is set to help the pack biodegrade by 92% within a four-year period without leaving microplastics behind.
Other developments from Trinseo include its flame-retardant resins, designed to be free from halogenated additives and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Both are said to contain post-consumer recycled substrates while maintaining a performance similar to virgin materials.
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