4 Companies to Cooperate on Polystyrene Production and Recycling

Four leading polystyrene producers and recyclers have launched a Non-Disclosure Agreement to explore and optimize advanced recycling technologies such as depolymerization for polystyrene. The agreement will accelerate the industry's efforts to reduce plastic waste by creating a more circular economy for polystyrene. Agilyx, a pioneer in chemical recycling of post-consumer plastic streams, will collaborate with leading polystyrene manufacturers AmSty, INEOS Styrolution and Trinseo to identify and develop best design and supply chain approaches for producing new high-value recycled products from polystyrene waste. Agilyx's approach is based on polystyrene's unique properties, allowing the production of food-grade material even from post-consumer polystyrene waste. Agilyx CEO Tim Stedman said "It is encouraging to see the industry coming together to accelerate polystyrene circularity" and added "Polystyrene is ideally suited to achieve circularity, and as Agilyx, we have the expertise to realize this. With our deep technology expertise in converting polystyrene waste back into styrene and with these three leading polystyrene producers, we are confident that we will advance the development of polystyrene recycling even further."

AmSty President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Randy Pogue said: "We hope to signal to the industry, and particularly to companies positioned across the value chain in a circular economy, that we are very serious about circularity for polystyrene.

Since 2018, AmSty and Agilyx have worked together at our joint facility in Tigard, Oregon using Agilyx's groundbreaking pyrolysis technology. We are delighted to see Agilyx joining our program and cannot imagine a better partner." Dr. Alexander Glück from INEOS Styrolution added: "Recycling of plastics is a challenge that transcends barriers between companies. We believe this collaboration will be key to successfully implementing and further developing recycling programs. We are very pleased to see so much expertise coming together and we encourage partners from other parts of the value chain to join our efforts." Nicolas Joly, Vice President of Plastics & Feedstocks at Trinseo, said "Polystyrene circularity enables us to benefit from the material's advantages while minimizing its impact on the environment." "Polystyrene is an ideal material for the recycling future and this agreement is a strong signal that a group of companies is committed to shaping this future," he said. Previously, AmSty, INEOS Styrolution and Trinseo signed a Joint Development Agreement to accelerate the implementation of circularity for polystyrene, one of the most recyclable polymers. The JDA aims at advances in all technical aspects to enable scaled investment in advanced commercial recycling solutions and to optimize recycling technologies for large-scale commercial use.