After seven years of turning circular styrenics from concept into industrial reality, Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS) integrates its work into the Plastics Europe Styrenics sector group — bringing the full weight of Europe’s plastics industry behind the next phase of circularity for styrenic plastics.
[Brussels: Tuesday 20 October] – Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS), the joint value-chain initiative founded in 2018 to advance the circular economy for styrenic plastics, today announced that its work will be integrated into the Plastics Europe Styrenics sector group. The move consolidates industry efforts on circular styrenics, providing a broader platform for industry collaboration and engagement, expanded policy reach and closer alignment with the rest of Europe’s plastics circularity agenda. As circularity becomes an increasingly important part of the styrenics industry’s work, the integration will strengthen coordination across the value chain, bring circularity, regulatory and advocacy activities under a single platform, and support a more coherent approach to advancing circular styrenics in Europe.
Since its founding, SCS has taken circular styrenics from feasibility study to industrial demonstration. It filed the first EFSA applications for mechanically recycled polystyrene as a food-contact material, and in 2023 submitted a first-of-its-kind novel-technology notification for recycled polystyrene under new EU rules. Together with its members and partners, SCS demonstrated closed-loop recycling of foamed and extruded polystyrene food trays — including an industrial-scale process – and produced life-cycle analysis confirming the significant CO₂ benefits of food-contact polystyrene recycling.
It also helped build the broader infrastructure of European plastics circularity: contributing to all five working groups of the European Commission’s Circular Plastics Alliance, co-founding the cross-polymer PolyREC® data initiative with PCEP and EUMEPS, and entering into reciprocal membership with Plastics Recyclers Europe and, more recently, Plarebel in Belgium.
“SCS was built to prove that styrenics belong in a circular economy, and it has done exactly that. Integrating this work into Plastics Europe’s Styrenics sector group is the natural next step: it gives the members, partners and priorities a broader platform to accelerate what SCS started.” Walter Van het Hof, Secretary General at Styrenics Circular Solutions
“Circular styrenics is now a core part of our industry’s work, in particular on packaging, chemical recycling and food-contact policy. Bringing SCS’s expertise into the Plastics Europe Styrenics sector group will strengthen coordination across the value chain, create synergies between regulatory, technical and advocacy activities, and ensure Europe’s styrenics industry speaks with a single, coherent and strong value chain voice on the files that matter most”. Virginia Janssens, Managing Director at Plastics Europe
What continues under Plastics Europe Styrenics sector group:
- Regulatory files with EFSA and the European Commission, including the ongoing novel-technology notification for recycled polystyrene as a food-contact material.
- Industrial-scale demonstration projects on mechanical, dissolution and depolymerisation recycling of polystyrene.
- Cross-polymer data reporting through PolyREC® and collaborations with Plastics Recyclers Europe.
- Engagement across the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and related EU policy files.
Notes for Editors
Styrenics Circular Solutions (SCS) is the joint value-chain initiative established in 2018 to accelerate the circular economy for styrenic plastics. Since its founding, SCS has advanced mechanical, dissolution and depolymerisation recycling routes for styrenics, filed first-of-a-kind regulatory applications for recycled polystyrene as a food-contact material and demonstrated closed-loop recycling of PS food packaging. Its work is now integrated within the Plastics Europe Styrenics sector group.
Plastics Europe’s Styrenics sector group represents the leading European producers of styrene monomer and styrenic polymers. It promotes the safe, sustainable and circular use of styrenics through regulatory engagement, scientific research, value-chain collaboration and advocacy at European level. Plastics Europe is the pan-European association of plastics manufacturers with offices across Europe. For over 100 years, science and innovation have been the DNA that cuts across our industry. With members producing polymers across EU27+3 (Norway, Switzerland, UK) we are the catalyst for the industry with a responsibility to openly engage with stakeholders and deliver solutions which are safe, circular and sustainable. We are committed to implementing long-lasting positive change.
Media contact
Styrenics Circular Solutions: Jennifer Morgan, Jennifer.morgan@point-communications.com
Plastics Europe Styrenics: Alma Lamberti, alma.lamberti@plasticseurope.org