The Facts about EPS and Other Recyclable Foams
An Environmental Test:
Which material is less harmful to the environment, EPS Foam or Cardboard?
The answer may surprise you: EPS Foam
A comparative study has been conducted by BASF to demystify this issue. Five main conclusions emerged:
1.) EPS requires six times less energy to produce than cardboard.
2.) Critical air volume shows lower total air pollution for EPS over cardboard.
3.) More than 20 times the amount of EPS would have to be manufactured to reach the same water pollution level as cardboard.
4.) EPS’s global warming potential (GWP) is much lower than cardboard.
5.) Waste volume of EPS is higher than cardboard; however recycling technologies are quickly bringing these numbers down.
To describe the environmental impact of packaging materials as accurately as possible, the study used the life cycle balance model. The effects on environment have been assessed using the following five parameters:
- Energy consumption
- Critical air volume
- Critical water volume
- Waste volume
- Potential for atmosphere global warming (GWP value)
Although this study indicates that EPS Foam is a superior choice over cardboard, cardboard with EPS Foam is the most logical choice for shipping product. Contact us for more information on the advantages of packaging with EPS Foam!