PlasticsEurope has launched an initiative to promote innovative recycling solutions for polystyrene, in an effort to support the European Union’s circular economy plan.

In a June 29 statement, the Brussels-based trade group said it had created a Working Group on Chemical Recycling with the aim of engaging the value chain in the development and “industrialization” of promising new recycling technologies. .

Focusing on recycling chemicals, the initiative will focus on converting collected post-consumer polystyrene waste into virgin polystyrene.

For this, new technologies must be developed that allow the incorporation of post-consumer waste in the production processes of plastics manufacturers. The goal is to generate “high quality” polystyrene to meet the ultimate standards for food contact applications.

“These technologies, through extensive collaboration along the value chain, will provide efficient and sustainable solutions to today’s environmental challenges,” said Norbert Niessner, chair of the Chemical Recycling Task Force.

“The initiative opens the way to increase the circularity of plastics. Finding new ways to recycle represents a greater opportunity to save valuable resources for future generations and prevent plastics from ending up in landfills,” said Karl-H. Foerster, CEO of PlasticsEurope.

The initiative is part of the activities announced by PlasticsEurope at K2016 to maximize the full potential of plastics in delivering resource efficiency gains within the circular economy.