BSH and BASF Introduce Chemically Recycled EPS Packaging for Luxury Home Appliances

BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, a leading European home‑appliance manufacturer, has adopted BASF’s Styropor EPS bead for the first time. The bead is made from chemically recycled plastic waste and will be used as packaging for select large appliances of its Gaggenau brand – one of the luxury brands in the BSH Group.

Despite being produced from recycled material, Styropor Ccycled EPS retains the performance of conventional Styropor, offering excellent impact absorption and high compressive strength – key qualities for protecting sophisticated home‑appliances.

Initial trials are underway at BSH’s production site in Dillingen, Germany. The company’s goal is to scale this resource‑efficient packaging to all large appliances worldwide.

“By adopting Styropor packaging derived from chemically recycled material, we’re advancing our sustainability targets and supporting the circular economy across the industry,” said BSH Hausgeräte COO Silke Maurer. “We’re proud to partner with BASF, whose experience and expertise help us reach these goals.”

BASF’s production process replaces fossil feedstock with pyrolysis oil extracted from plastic waste that would otherwise be incinerated or landfilled. The oil is used at the beginning of the value chain to produce new plastics. Because recycled and fossil components are blended during manufacture, a mass‑balance approach is employed to assign the recycled share to Styropor Ccycled EPS. Both the allocation method and the final product carry an Ecoloop certification, confirming their environmental credentials.

Compared with conventional Styropor, Styropor Ccycled packaging reduces CO₂ emissions by at least 50%. “Our ChemCycling project aligns with global priorities to cut greenhouse gases, preserve fossil resources, and recover waste plastics,” explained Klaus Ries, head of BASF’s European styrenics business. “BSH’s adoption of this material demonstrates tangible progress toward a closed plastics loop.”

Looking ahead, BASF and BSH plan to deepen collaboration by exploring alternative raw materials across additional value chains and developing solutions to close the plastics loop further. Although mechanically recyclable Styropor waste already sees extensive use today, the partnership aims to accelerate recycling rates and expand the market for high‑quality recycled EPS.