INEOS Styrolution, a member of the INEOS Group, is the leading global supplier of styrenics based materials. The company focusses on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. The company employs 3,600 people and operates 20 production sites in ten countries.
INEOS Styrolution provides styrenics applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including automotive, electronics, household, construction, healthcare, packaging and toys/sports/leisure.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
INEOS STYROLUTION: INEOS Styrolution is recognized for bringing high-performance material solutions to the market. These materials are often the materials of choice for very demanding applications. Today, we are putting a strong focus on the development of sustainable solutions, yet making no compromise on performance.
INEOS Styrolution is aiming at driving a circular economy for styrenics valorizing the intrinsic excellent recycling properties of polystyrene and other styrenics. The company therefore develops state of the art sustainable solutions together with leading technology partners and also partners with companies along the value chain.
Solutions include both, mechanical as well as advanced recycling solutions for polystyrene and styrenics materials as well as Styrenic materials with a significantly lower ecological footprint.
E.E: What’s the news for 2021 about new products?
INEOS STYROLUTION: Over the past years, INEOS Styrolution has made significant progress with advanced recycling technologies. For example, in 2019, the company reported the first production of polystyrene from previously depolymerised material. While this solution is planned to be commercialised in the coming years with first recycling plants planned in Europe and in North America, first mechanically recycled polystyrene and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) has been introduced to the market and is available already today offering the same performance as native materials.
In 2021, we just announced first bio-attributed specialty materials, i.e. materials based on renewable bio feedstock e.g. household kitchen waste or bio residue form the pulp industry, thereby not competing with food/feed production and land use. Production of these materials requires fewer fossil resources and has a 74% lower greenhouse gas footprint when compared to styrene produced by fossil fuel.
Throughout 2021, a range of new solutions should be expected that add to the company’s ECO family of materials for a circular economy and a low-carbon economy.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
INEOS STYROLUTION: As mentioned before, INEOS Styrolution focusses on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. The introduction of first mechanically recycled materials („Terluran ECO”, „Polystyrene ECO”) and the first bio-attributed materials („Styrolux/Styroflex ECO”) has set the scene for additional introductions adding on to the Styrolution ECO portfolio.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
INEOS STYROLUTION: Geographically, INEOS Styrolution addresses all global markets. The company is present with production sites in all three regions, EMEA, APAC and the Americas, with identified growth regions in the Americas and in particular in APAC.
When it comes to industries, INEOS Styrolution addresses a rage of focus industries, including automotive, electronics, household, construction, healthcare, packaging and toys/sports/leisure.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
INEOS STYROLUTION: Our industry is driven by all major trends, some are global megatrends like urbanization, some are specific to certain industries like the development of new drives for cars in the automotive industry. INEOS Styrolution responds to changing needs with the development of new solutions helping our customers to stay competitive in their respective markets. This includes the development of powerful sustainability solutions helping our customers meeting their own sustainability targets and reduce INEOS Styrolution’s ecological footprint as well.
Geographically, we see a significantly increasing demand for our solutions in APAC, in particular in China.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
INEOS STYROLUTION: Over the last decades INEOS Styrolution and its predecessor companies have outperformed continuously through introduction of new product lines our grades with excellent performance. We just introduced a range of new ECO product into the market and have, at lab scale, proven that production of polystyrene from previously depolymerized material is possible. We are developing this solution to be deployed at commercial scale with recycling plants currently planned in EMEA and in the Americas.