INEOS Styrolution announced the successful completion of project with mechanically recycled polystyrene in a yoghurt cup. The yoghurts will arrive early next year on the shelves of Lidl supermarkets.

Yoghurt cups with mechanically recycled polystyrene.

The processes of mechanical recycling of polystyrene include multiple steps from sorting (deep NIR sorting including object recognition) across hot washing and flake sorting to melt filtration and pelletizing.

One of the processes that stands out 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, with significantly lower environmental footprint. 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.

Result of first consumer test

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 product.

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 color other than today’s plain white would be completely acceptable.