AmSty Celebrates 15 Years of Innovation

Tuesday, 06 December 2022

The new year is a special one at AmSty. In 2023, we're celebrating 15 years as a leading producer of polystyrene and styrene monomer, versatile products that enhance our lives – from food packaging, medical supplies and bike helmets that keep us safe – to refrigerators and insulation that keep us comfortable. What a tremendous accomplishment.

We're also celebrating our track record of sustainability leadership. Amsty charted an early path as a pioneer in the recycling of polystyrene and continues today to advance new technologies and partnerships to protect the environment.

I am extremely proud of what this company has accomplished – the dedicated and talented employees responsible for our success, the customers throughout the Americas that we're honored to serve and the sustainable innovations making our Earth a better place to live.

Important Milestones

AmSty was launched in May 2008, formed through a joint venture between Chevron Phillips Chemical Company (CPChem) and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow). Dow ownership was transferred to Trinseo (formerly Styron) in 2010. Many employees from the original parent companies are still with us today – which is a testament to our mission, vision, values and company culture.

Since our formation, we've seen many significant milestones along the way. Among them:

In 2011, we introduced PolyRenew©, a brand of resin launched as the first post-consumer recycled polystyrene product with FDA approval for foodservice in the U.S.
In 2013, PolyRenew© was first used in recycled foam containers. Designed around the concept of doing more with less, the resin is now widely used in food contact applications and many other consumer products.
In 2015, construction was completed on the deep-water dock in St. James, La., providing AmSty's styrene facility along the Mississippi the capability to load and unload large oceangoing vessels. In addition, we contributed to funding recycling infrastructure as a founding member of the Foodservice Packaging Institute's Foam Recycling Coalition. In 2018, AmSty was recognized by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) for our commitment to safety, achieving top quartile safety performance as measured against ACC peers.
In 2019, AmSty formed Regenyx, a joint venture with Agilyx, to commercialize an innovative circular recycling process that breaks down polystyrene into its original raw material. It can then be used to make products with the same quality and durability as the original polystyrene. Our vision is that polystyrene products should never be landfilled but reclaimed, reprocessed and reused again and again.
In 2020 we received the ACC Sustainability Leadership Award for the success in circular polystyrene recycling through Regenyx. There were many other important milestones in 2020, including recycling more than 20 million pounds of polystyrene, keeping 2 billion 16 oz. cups out of the landfill. In addition, our Regenyx facility was our first facility to become International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certified. The ISCC PLUS recognition is the global gold standard for sustainable plastics.
In 2021, AmSty committed to achieve 30% recycling content in foodservice packaging by 2030. AmSty also became a founding member of Cyclyx, a post-use plastic feedstock management company.
In 2022, our Marietta, Ohio, facility attained 1 million safe work hours. Also, we added our Allyn's Point plant as the most recent site to achieve ISCC Plus recognition. Five of our facilities are now ISCC Plus certified.

We capped off 2022 announcing a commitment with Encina, an innovator in circular materials, to purchase circular feedstocks from Encina's new advanced recycling facility in Pennsylvania when it comes online in 2025 and repurposes municipal plastic waste into new products. We'll purchase more to provide to our customers as Encina builds more recycling facilities across the U.S.

Looking Ahead

It has been an impressive 15-year journey. With a vision to empower circular recycling through innovation, collaboration and accountability, we will continue to live out our overarching mission: creating sustainable material that makes our lives and planet better. Our values will guide every decision. They include integrity and respect, and an unwavering commitment to safety, environmental responsibility and our employees.

I'm humbled to be at the helm as we look forward to the many milestones to come – living out our focus on these sustainability beliefs:

Polystyrene plastic is essential, used to create many life-enhancing products, and should be made from the most sustainable and climate-favorable material possible.
Plastics producers have a responsibility to lead recycling innovations. We're committed to driving a rapid pace of change resulting in plastic waste being repurposed into new plastic products.

Partnerships are imperative for circularity to be realized. A future where all plastics are recycled requires a shared vision, collaboration and commitment from manufacturers, processors, packaging companies – even cities and states – to make recycling simple so everyone can participate. We're forging these relationships every day.

So many have played a part in our past success, and I couldn't be more excited for the future as we celebrate each year of progress. We will continue to innovate and fulfill our unwavering commitment to safety, our employees, environmental leadership, and sustainable solutions for our customers.