Award-winning rPS technology
Recycled polystyrene (rPS) makes a significant contribution to helping the food industry achieve its sustainability goals while meeting legal requirements. In Europe, approximately 800,000 metric tonnes of polystyrene are produced annually as a raw material, of which a significant portion is used in the production of food packaging. This means that the potential for recycling is equally high.
rPS – The road to success
Fernholz Verpackungen launches a major project focusing on the recycling of PS for use in the food sector. The objective is to establish a functioning circular economy for polystyrene with food contact.
Fernholz Verpackungen and a partner take back material from the FFS process in dairies and other food sectors and “incorporate” rPS 2.0 into their films. The basic rPS process is registered as a “Novel Technology” under the new EU Regulation 2022-1616 on recycled materials.
Fernholz Verpackungen promotes the use of rPS from household-based collection programmes to develop a comprehensive recycling system. The PS content from these collections is recycled purely mechanically.
The entire qualification process is brought to a successful conclusion. PS recycling reaches an even more complex stage with rPS 3.0.
In March 2026, the basic recycling process for polystyrene (rPS) developed by Fernholz Verpackungen was included in the new European Union “Union Register of novel technologies”. This register lists innovative plastic recycling processes for food packaging that have not yet been fully assessed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), but which make an important contribution to the development of sustainable packaging solutions.
In May, Fernholz Verpackungen, ALDI Einkauf SE & Co. oHG and the ZOTT dairy received the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe (PRSE Award) in the Product Technology Innovation category. What makes the joint Milsani Topi rPS Dairy Cup project so special is the use of FFS (Form-Fill-Seal) film – which is made from rPS.
Outlook
Fernholz Verpackungen anticipates rPS consumption of around 2,000 metric tonnes. This corresponds to a recyclate content of at least 10% based on a total volume of approximately 20,000 metric tonnes of film, which we will be bringing to market.
In addition, Fernholz Verpackungen is hoping to obtain a positive assessment of the novel technology from EFSA. The next step will be to seek approval for this technology from the European Commission in order to establish rPS as a “business at scale”. At the same time, this would fulfil another important condition for the recognition of rPS as a standalone recycling stream.
Five facilities registered as recycling centres
Fernholz Verpackungen currently has five facilities at two production sites registered as recycling centres and holds the corresponding recycling identification numbers (RINs). This ensures the availability of sufficient capacity, including a reserve. All facilities operate based on the published novel technology, utilising a functional barrier. Not only does the new product layer ensure compliance with food safety regulations, it also reliably masks any potential visual imperfections that cannot be completely eliminated during physical recycling.
Networking for resilience
Fernholz Verpackungen has built a network of reliable suppliers to safeguard the consistently high quality and quantity of raw materials. This allows the company to respond flexibly to fluctuations in volume and to maintain supply security even when market conditions change.
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