The recycling of plastics is key to reducing the environmental impact of the corresponding packaging. It is crucial that not only the post-consumer packaging is fed into the recycling system, but that the secondary polymer can also replace primary material. And this is exactly what we are working on: An application for the use of recycled polystyrene (PS) in food contact materials was submitted in February 2024 from the "Closing the loop for PS Switzerland" round table that we lead. If approved by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), closed loops would be made possible and the risk of not being able to use recycled material would be significantly reduced.
The application was developed in close cooperation with various players in the value chain, whereby our role was central: in order to close the PS cycle for food contact materials, we drew up the technical dossier for this in cooperation with the industry. This includes a detailed description of all the processes used, a risk assessment and a quality assurance system to ensure safe use in the long term. At the same time, cooperation across the value chain was further developed, thereby also removing obstacles to implementation.
This significant step towards sustainability and a circular plastics economy was not taken without critical consideration: The use of recyclate requires its sufficient purity or the absence of substances that could be hazardous to humans and/or the environment Numerous tests in the EU and Switzerland, as well as scientific studies confirming the safe use of rPS with a recyclate content of up to 100% in food contact materials, served as the basis for the submitted application. These tests and studies have already led to corresponding applications being submitted in the EU for the recycling of polystyrene as a "novel technology" under Regulation 2022/1616.
You can find more background information on the project here.