The goal was clear from the outset: to produce food packaging from recycled polystyrene. The plastic recyclate has not yet been approved for food applications. However, packaging manufacturer Greiner Packaging believes it is in a position to produce a yoghurt pot from 100 per cent recycled material. According to the company, corresponding trials in Switzerland have been successful.
Greiner has been on the market for some time with the K3 yoghurt pot. It consists of an environmentally friendly and attractively printable cardboard-plastic combination. This cup is now the subject of a project carried out by Greiner Packaging in Switzerland. With this development, the company wants to emphasise the outstanding recyclability of polystyrene (PS).
Recycled PS is to be used to produce packaging for foodstuffs. In this project, 100 % mechanically recycled PS was combined with 100 % recycled cardboard for the first time. The whole process was tested for the typical Swiss dual yoghurt packs. According to the company, the results are promising.
100 % mechanically recycled PS processed for the first time
In tests, PS has proven its excellent suitability for mechanical recycling with high purity values. In fact, mechanically recycled PS achieves purity values of 99.9 % and therefore has the potential to reach food standards. Although the plastic recyclate r-PS used in the tests is not yet approved for food applications, it still looks very suitable for food applications. Greiner Packaging The first trials have proven that it is already possible to produce yoghurt pots with 100 % mechanically recycled PS. Certification of the material is already in progress.
„Only with the commitment of many companies along the value chain can the goal of approval for 100 % mechanically recycled PS or its process for contact with food be achieved in the end. At the moment, our initial tests together with a customer in Switzerland are the focus of our activities on this topic“
Tobias Strasser, Managing Director at the Greiner Packaging site in Diepoldsau, Switzerland
This project came about through the SCS initiative (Styrenics Circular Solutions), which aims to realise the circular economy for styrenics. At the moment, the focus is on the advantages of using mechanically recycled PS: low CO2-footprint thanks to sustainable materials and the establishment of closed material cycles. This means that no mixing with new material is necessary - and therefore a sustainable overall concept can be realised without any problems.
