Sustainability is making its way into every aspect of daily life, including food packaging and worker protection equipment such as helmets.
From plastic waste to high-performance packaging
Innovation in packaging helps ice cream shops keep their products fresh while reducing environmental impact. Italian packaging specialists have introduced an ice cream box made from Styropor庐 Ccycled庐 from BASF, an expandable polystyrene (EPS) obtained from chemical recycling of plastic waste.
In the production of Ccycled庐 products, fossil raw materials are replaced by pyrolysis oil at the very beginning of the petrochemical value chain. This alternative raw material is obtained from pyrolysis of plastic waste that would otherwise be used for energy recovery or go to landfill. This process saves valuable resources.
BASF鈥檚 production system integrates both chemically recycled (e.g. waste based) and fossil raw materials. Since these are mixed in BASF鈥檚 interconnected production process and cannot be distinguished from each other, the recycled portion is attributed to the Ccycled products using a mass balance approach. This results in high-performance packaging with a significantly lower carbon footprint, without compromising on quality, insulation, or durability.
Safe helmets, smarter materials: combining high safety for workers with plastics circularity
A new approach to helmet production is combining high safety standards with circularity, reducing reliance on fossil resources while maintaining top-tier performance. For instance, major Italian helmet brand KASK is using Neopor庐 Ccycled庐 from BASF for the production of the internal shell for almost all of its worker safety helmets.
Neopor庐 Ccycled庐 is an expandable polystyrene (EPS) with graphite content, which is obtained from chemical recycling of plastic waste. Instead of fossil feedstocks, pyrolysis oil obtained from recycled post-consumer plastic waste is used at the very beginning of the BASF value chain. The recycled portion of the feedstock is attributed to the Ccycled庐 products using a mass balance approach.
Rigorous performance tests confirm that the Ccycled庐 material maintains the same mechanical strength and energy absorption capabilities as conventional EPS, while offering a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reduced by approximately 90%. This means workers can rely on their KASK helmets for maximum protection while at the same time supporting a circular economy.