Kingspan : first to close the EPS loop

As part of our global commitment to circularity, Kingspan is the first company in the Netherlands to become a partner in the PolystyreneLoop (PS Loop) Cooperative for both recycling EPS insulation demolition waste and converting the recyclates, via our suppliers, for use in our products, thus closing the loop.

The PS Loop Cooperative is a non-profit organisation set-up to develop a scalable, circular solution for polystyrene insulation waste. It brings together organisations from across the supply chain including manufacturers, suppliers, converters and recyclers. We are founding contributors of the cooperative in Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom.

PS Loop's state-of-the-art facility in Terneuzen, Netherlands, opens in June 2021 and is expected to recycle 3,300 tonnes of waste per year once fully operational. Through an innovative process, expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) materials are dissolved and purified before being transformed into the granulated recyclate with no loss of material quality. The HBCD flame retardant used in older EPS and XPS boards is safely removed and destroyed within this process whilst the valuable bromine component is recovered.

As a designated recycling HUB, Kingspan is responsible for collecting and pre-processing the waste EPS insulation, and then sending it to the PS Loop plant. To maximise transport efficiency and reduce related emissions, the pre-processing step involves compressing the EPS.

After the processing by PS-Loop the recyclate will go back into the supply chain and will be used in the manufacture of our own EPS boards, creating a truly circular process. We hope that the complete process will be up and running later this year.

Jan Noordegraaf, director at PS Loop: 'We are delighted that Kingspan has agreed to take a leading role in our project. This close industry collaboration is exactly what we envisaged when our co-operative was formed and is vital to achieving a circular economy. The output from our facility will help to meet the ongoing demand for EPS insulation, supporting drive for greater energy efficiency.'

Teun van Schadewijk, Business Developer at Kingspan in Gemert and project manager: 'Schemes like PS Loop are what our Planet Passionate programme is all about: realising exciting new circular processes and products. We can't wait until the site is in full production. Over the next few months, we will be piloting a few projects which will test our procedures and allow us to make further improvements. We plan to launch the first Kingspan Unidek EPS products manufactured with the recyclate in the Netherlands this autumn.'

Learn more about our Planet Passionate programme.