- A good example of circularity and the short chain: the first recycled styrene monomer has arrived at INEOS Styrolution in Zandvliet.
- This comes from Indaver, 10 km away, where Plastics2Chemicals converts plastic waste back into high-quality raw material.
Indaver officially inaugurated its new depolymerisation plant today in the presence of Flemish Minister Jo Brouns. Plastics2Chemicals is Europe's first polystyrene recycling plant and recently delivered the first shipment of recycled styrene monomer to INEOS Styrolution. There it is processed into raw materials for high-quality polystyrene and other styrene products for food-safe, transparent and medical applications.
We are delighted to now be able to offer styrene products from depolymerisation on a market-appropriate scale," said Rob Buntinx, President EMEA of INEOS Styrolution. "This provides our customers with more sustainable options to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising product quality or performance.
By reducing end-of-life plastics to their original chemical building blocks, these materials are given a high-quality new application. At the same time, it avoids the creation of new plastics from fossil raw materials and keeps valuable materials in the cycle. The depolymerization reduces plastics to their original monomers. This makes it possible to turn yoghurt pots into yoghurt pots again, because the recycled raw material meets all criteria for food safety, among other things - which is not feasible with conventional recycling methods.
Erik Moerman, Director Sales & Development Plastics2Chemicals: By converting hard-to-recycle plastics back into raw materials of new quality, such as styrene, we close the loop and offer a sustainable alternative to fossil raw materials. After years of intensive research, testing and collaboration with universities and partners, it is a special moment to be able to effectively deliver recycled products to our customers. In doing so, we prove that circularity and performance can go hand in hand.
The European Commission aims for a recycling rate of 55% for plastic packaging by 2030, while the current effective recycling rate is only 41%. In addition, targets are set for the use of 10 to 25% recycled content in new packaging. P2C plays a key role in closing this recycling gap by providing virgin-quality products from post-consumer plastic waste.
INEOS Styrolution uses multiple recycling technologies for different waste streams. The recycled raw material complements INEOS Styrolution's sustainable styrene product portfolio, which already produces mechanically recycled and bio-based products.
