Styrofoam is the only insulation material approved for use in food packaging. Whether it’s meat, ice cream, coffee, or fish—Styrofoam is a hygienic, clean, and neutral material suitable for a wide variety of applications. It’s also used in nursing pillows for babies, seat cushions, beanbags, beehives, and bicycle and motorcycle helmets—safe Styrofoam is used everywhere.
Styrofoam consists of a simple, monomeric hydrocarbon compound. These long-chain compounds form the cellular structure—which results in numerous air pockets. The trapped air is responsible for its good thermal insulation properties.
The monomer styrene is also a flavor compound found in nuts, coffee, strawberries, and many other foods. It can be derived from shale oil and, currently, is most cost-effectively produced from petroleum.
More than 98 % of Styrofoam consists of air. One cubic meter—or 1,000 liters—of Styrofoam requires only about 20 kg of the hydrocarbon, or about 20 liters of the actual raw material, to produce.
A house with 150 m² of exterior walls and 10 cm of Styrofoam facade insulation requires 15 cbm of Styrofoam—and thus approximately 300 liters of the ‚raw material.‘ We use that same amount of hydrocarbons to fill up our car in just a few weeks—but when used to insulate a house, it lasts for decades and also provides warmth and comfort.
The foam structure—polystyrene is foamed using pentane, a fermentation gas that is also produced during the fermentation of wine, apple cider, etc. The gas is activated by water vapor and dissipates completely within a few weeks—using today’s measurement methods, no outgassing or similar phenomena can be detected. Sensitive bee colonies thrive in polystyrene for decades.
Styrofoam is expanded using steam—mineral wool, bricks, and aerated concrete are all fired at much higher temperatures. That is why the life cycle assessment for Styrofoam as an insulation material is usually positive in less than a year.
You cannot set certified Styrofoam on fire, even with a gas torch. Although the insulation material melts, it does not burn on its own. The plaster also protects the insulation material for a long time—even when exposed to high temperatures and flames.
Neopor has always used a polymer-based, non-hazardous flame retardant. We have also stopped using HBCD—a brominated flame retardant—in white Styrofoam for years.
Construction waste can be easily separated and recycled using a shredder and a water bath. The polymer chains can be broken down through a simple process, allowing new polystyrene to be produced.
Biodegradation occurs, among other things, through mealworms, which consume the Styrofoam without leaving any residue. Under UV light, the Styrofoam also breaks down into its individual organic components.
