COMPARISON BETWEEN EPS FOAM AND PAPER PACKAGINGS

Why EPS foam a better packaging material than paper?

When choosing packaging materials, the following factors must be taken into consideration: thermal insulation performance, shock absorbing ability and environmental impacts.
The most apparent advantage of EPS foam over the cardboard is that its insulation performance is better. During the same time of 10 minutes, the paper cup losts twice as much heat as that in a foam cup. To protect people’s hand from the hot beverages, the paper cups must be two-layered or use some kind of wrap. Hence, the paper containers are bigger and heavier.
On the other hand, it is reported that, based on the life cycle analysis, the energy consumption and environmental impacts of EPS foam packaging is better than cardboard packaging as is shown in the following pictures.