Ineos Styrosolution collaborated with a number of partners on the project, including German dairy products giant Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller and supermarket Lidl.

The firm has developed what it described as a “super clean process” and has registered its method with the EU as a novel technology.

“The process involves multiple steps from sorting (deep near-infrared sorting including object recognition) across hot washing and flake sorting to melt filtration and pelletising,” the firm stated.

“Moreover, the environmental footprint of the recycled material is significantly lower than that of conventionally produced material.”

Intensive quality control work was carried out on the base material and the cups, along with testing to ensure compliance with European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) standards for food contact materials.

Ineos Styrosolution eco and market development manager Dr. Frank Eisenträger commented: “Polystyrene arrived in the champions league of recycled food contact materials. It will enable producers to meet the new requirements of the new EU directive PPWR for packaging and packaging waste.”

The firm tested consumer reaction using volunteers at an Ineos canteen and hundreds of pots of yoghurt. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and included a thumbs up for a recycled pot that might not necessarily look identical to the usual plain bright white.

Lidl will begin using the recycled pots early this year.

Lena Lembach, senior packaging development at Theo Müller, added: “This is a milestone achievement on our common way to perfect circularity for polystyrene cups and towards fulfilment of the PPWR requirements as well as our own CO2 footprint reduction targets.”

Lembach and Eisenträger gave a presentation about the recycled yoghurt cup project at the Dresden Packaging Conference last month.

Ineos Styrosolution is part of London-headquartered chemicals giant Ineos Group. Styrosoluion has 16 manufacturing sites across nine countries.