Polystyrene Outperforms Alternatives in Many Areas, Yet Environmental Benefits Are Overlooked

WASHINGTON (February 8, 2018)—Earlier this week Dunkin’ Brands announced plans to eliminate polystyrene foam cups in its global supply chain beginning in spring 2018. The American Chemistry Council issued the following statement:

“Many companies and consumers are taking steps to reduce their environmental footprint. From reducing waste, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and often to increasing recycling, validated life cycle studies demonstrate plastics and plastic packaging consistently outperform many competing materials. The fact is: Polystyrene (PS) foam can be—and is being—recycled in many communities, more so than many alternatives. Plus, PS foam performs remarkably well at keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold. Plastics makers are working hard to grow access to foam recycling, and we are enthusiastic about recently announced advances in chemical recycling for PS foam and other plastics.”