Protective packaging from recycled plastic

METZINGEN, Germany – German-based protective packaging specialist Storopack is breaking new ground with recycled expanded polystyrene (rEPS) protective packaging.

As part of a customer project, due to get underway in the first quarter of 2020, Storopack will be launching the first-ever protective packaging made from 100 percent rEPS.

The raw material rEPS is made from 100 percent recycled EPS or PS from post-consumer goods – and new protective packaging can also be made with up to 100 percent of this raw material.

The ratio to conventional EPS (i.e. the share of recycled material) can be tailored to reflect customer requirements in terms of cost and properties.

rEPS is solution for companies that wish to ship their goods safely while taking sustainability seriously.

Storopack is the first manufacturer with a fully integrated and patented production process for the new material. Both the recycling and the production of rEPS beads take place exclusively at the company’s own production plants.

Expanded plastics, especially expanded polystyrene (EPS), are some of the world’s most commonly used synthetic materials, largely due to their use as protective packaging for household appliances and consumer electronics.

As packaging often has a short useful life, it is imperative that it is collected and reused in an eco-friendly way. This is exactly where rEPS comes in.

It proves that EPS is not only fully recyclable, but that it can be 100 percent reused to produce new protective packaging, closing the recycling loop.

“The challenge in developing rEPS was to create a more sustainable yet efficient loop for EPS protective packaging from the collect to the molding while retaining the key properties of the final product. We were successful on both counts, thanks to an exceptional team work” explains Charles Poisson, director of research and development at the Storopack Molding division.