— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

A pilot project by German petrochemical major BASF (Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com), thermal insulation system producer Sto (Stühlingen, Germany; www.sto.de), and housing association ABG Frankfurt (Frankfurt, Germany; www.abg.de), has used EPS boards with recycled content.

The partners replaced around 10% of the polystyrene with an EPS recyclate. Technical inspections have verified that the boards with recycled content fulfil the same quality standards as boards produced using only virgin raw materials, according to BASF.

Related: BASF plans EPS capacity expansion at Ludwigshafen up to 2027

The new boards were installed on the façade of an existing ABG building with 52 residential units in Frankfurt. The workers reported no difference in the handling and fitting compared with traditional boards, according to Frank Junker, chairman of the ABG board.

Klaus Ries, head of BASF’s European styrenics business, said the recyclates used to produce its Neopor F5 Mcycled EPS grade were made from mechanically recycled EPS waste. Ries added that the aim is to make use of further recyclate streams for the production of the material, such as EPS scraps from construction sites.

Sto’s Rhine-Main regional project manager, Frank Börner, appeared confident that the share of recyclates in thermal insulation systems can be increased in future.

Related: Bewi significantly expands EPS recycling capacities

A market observer told Plasteurope.com they considered this a remarkable development, in particular for a material that was previously viewed by many as non-recyclable – a misconception the industry has long been attempting to remedy.

A recent survey in the UK by the British Plastics Federation (BPF, London; www.bpf.co.uk) also noted that many respondents (84%) were not aware that EPS is fully recyclable. At the same time, it said there is strong demand for EPS recycling solutions, with 80% of those surveyed saying they would use local EPS reclaim services.

“This suggests a need for local authorities to establish accessible EPS recycling collection points,” the BPF said, emphasising the importance of promotional activity.