Expande Polystyrene Rigid Foam (EPS - Expanded Polystyrene) is a thermoplastic, closed-pore, typically white thermal insulation material in foam form.

In EPS (Expanded Polystyrene rigid foam) products obtained by inflating and fusing polystyrene particles, the blowing gas used to inflate the particles and obtain foam is “Pentane”. After pentane allows the formation of many small pores in the particles, it is replaced by air in a very short time during and after production. Thus, stagnant air is trapped in the large number of tiny closed-pore cells (3-6 billion in 1m3 EPS) contained within the EPS boards. 98% of the material is still and dry air.

FALSE: The use of EPS causes “Global Warming” and “Greenhouse Effect”.
TRUE: Since EPS does not contain harmful gases, it does not cause “Global Warming” and “Greenhouse Effect”. Gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide and ozone, which are called greenhouse effect gases, allow the passage of short-wave radiations, but absorb long-wave radiations. The sun's rays also come to the earth as short-wave radiation and warm the earth. This heat emerges as long wave radiation. This is called the "greenhouse effect" because it resembles the greenhouse mechanism in gardens. Without this effect, the world's temperature would be around -30°C.
Today, due to the excessive increase in these gases, our world is facing the danger of "overheating". Carbon dioxide has the largest share among the gases that cause this effect. 80% of the carbon dioxide emission comes from the combustion of fossil fuels. In this case, EPS has a positive effect as it provides thermal insulation and saves fuel.

FALSE: EPS wastes cannot be reused.
TRUE: EPS is reusable, recyclable and can be considered as an energy source.

EPS wastes can be reused in production after various processes. In addition, most of the EPS packages can be reused, as they retain all their properties after the first use. It is also possible to use EPS wastes for drainage and ventilation for soil development by grinding.
The fact that EPS is easily recognizable among other wastes also facilitates its recycling.

FALSE: EPS packaging creates a large amount of garbage.
TRUE: EPS constitutes one-thousandth (0.1%) of the weight of all garbage.

The vast majority of EPS packaging goes to municipal waste. These wastes originate from homes and offices. In the measurements made in Europe, it has been determined that municipal wastes constitute 5% of all wastes, and the remaining part is agricultural and mining residues. 7% of municipal waste is plastic materials. 1.5% of them is EPS.

FALSE: EPS production leads to faulty and excessive use of world resources.
TRUE: To get a true picture of a raw material's impact on the environment, it is necessary to examine all its "cradle-to-grave" stages. From this point of view, EPS is the most efficient use of the world's resources compared to other materials.

Compared to other materials, the amount of resources spent for its production and later use is much less. The ratio of energy, water and other materials required for its production is less than that required to produce alternative materials to EPS. In addition, the use of EPS for insulation provides great energy savings and thus more economical consumption of world resources.