A new type of alternative styrofoam is available that will biodegrade without leaching microplastics into the environment.
As Packaging Europe reported, Labelmaster's DGeo packaging division and Altor Solutions subsidiary Lifoam Industries developed a natural additive to improve the sustainability of styrofoam (also known as EPS). The additive will make temperature-controlled expanded polystyrene impact packaging biodegrade by 92% within four years.
In contrast, standard styrofoam is not biodegradable and takes hundreds of years to break down while releasing tiny plastic particles.
The company's creation offers end-of-life biodegradability without compromising performance, protection, or convenience. DGeo says that this responsible packaging is an effective way for companies to improve their sustainability.
"EPS has been a mainstay in cold chain and protective packaging for many years due to its high performance in thermal and physical applications and proven to be a challenge to replace, even in the face of a heightened scientific and cultural awareness around its environmental impact," Lifoam's Scott Dyvig said. "By utilizing BioEPS packaging, companies and consumers can get all the benefits of traditional EPS with a better end-of-life story."
Reducing styrofoam pollution is a tangible way to benefit human health by reducing landfill waste and microplastic exposure. This packaging improvement is one of the latest innovations contributing to the broader sustainability goal of stopping planet-overheating pollution.
Meanwhile, researchers are developing technologies such as origami-inspired cardboard packaging to reduce our world's reliance on plastics.
Other innovators are using rice crop byproducts to make eco-friendly packaging material that utilizes agricultural waste while eliminating plastic components. There's also significant hope in a plant-based, nontoxic, biodegradable material called polyethylene furanoate for sustainable food packaging.
In addition to being biodegradable, the new biobased additive highlighted by Packaging Europe is also recyclable and does not require sorting or separating.
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The way it looks 😍 As an individual, you can perpetuate the transition to eco-friendly packaging by buying products packed in sustainable materials.
"Eco-conscious consumers are increasingly supporting brands that use sustainable packaging solutions like Biodegradable EPS Foam. By adopting this material, companies can enhance their market position and build stronger customer loyalty," Alleguard, a foam solutions company, shared.
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