Closing the PS Loop in Switzerland (Sep. 2025)

cycleworks: Closing the PS loop in Switzerland together

Since 2020, stakeholders from the entire polystyrene (PS) value chain have come together to work on a solution: the closed loop for polystyrene (PS) food packaging. Promoting this «food-to-food» recycling is an essential step towards a sustainable circular economy, because secondary raw materials, i.e. recycled materials, play a central role for environmentally friendly packaging.

However, implementation presents various challenges. To solve these complex issues, the collaboration of all stakeholders along the value chain is crucial. That's why we discuss key questions within the cycleworks framework, such as:

• How can the quality of recycled polystyrene be guaranteed?
• How can migration of contaminants into food be prevented?
• What level of sorting purity of food material must be achieved so that the recyclate can be used in contact with food again?

Format of cycleworks

The cycleworks meetings, which build upon each other, take place online three times a year, and have been moderated by us since 2021. The meetings provide updates on the legal and technical framework for PS recycling in Switzerland and the EU and create a space for knowledge sharing and joint solution approaches. There are clear compliance rules – e.g. no commercial topics are discussed and no market player may be excluded from a future solution.