A confermarlo sono numerosi studi scientifici, tra cui una ricerca condotta dal Ministero dell’Ambiente e dell’Alimentazione della Danimarca insieme all’Agenzia Nazionale della Pesca
Milan, May 29, 2025 – EPS (expanded polystyrene) is among the least present plastic materials in the seas, yet among the most demonized. It is time to look at the data and not at impressions.
Despite misleading perceptions based on the simple visual counting of objects, scientific data place it among the materials with the least incidence in waters and on the coasts.
Numerous studies confirm this, including a significant research conducted by the Ministry of Environment and Food of Denmark together with the National Fisheries Agency[1].
Analyzing the waste present on the coasts of the Baltic Sea, the study highlighted that, although EPS represents about 11% of plastic waste by number, its presence in actual weight is not more than 1%. In countries such as Germany, Sweden, Estonia and Finland the percentage even drops below 1%.
Added to this is the fact that EPS, thanks to its lightness and natural buoyancy, does not settle on the seabed but remains on the surface, making it easier to recover both from the sea and from the beaches. It is also easily recognizable by its shape and structure, traceable along the entire supply chain and therefore selectable and manageable efficiently. All these characteristics, combined with the possibility of being 100% recycled, contribute to making EPS a sustainable material, already perfectly integrated into circular economy models.
Even in Italy, according to estimates by AIPE (Italian Expanded Polystyrene Association), the data are in line.
“The data clearly demonstrate that EPS is not among the plastic materials responsible for underwater pollution – says Giuseppe Rinaldi, President of AIPE –. The fact that it is light and visible has fueled a prejudice, but in terms of real impact it weighs very little. We need to change the measurement paradigm: not count objects, but evaluate their actual contribution in weight”.
A study on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch,[2] the most well-known area of floating plastic accumulation in the world, reinforces the picture: expanded plastic materials – of which EPS is only a part – represent less than 5% of the total by weight. A percentage that demonstrates how limited the actual contribution of EPS to marine pollution is.
A virtuous supply chain, already active
EPS is 100% recyclable and stands out for its excellent weight/performance ratio. It is composed of 98% air, is non-toxic, does not develop microorganisms, resists humidity and does not require pre-recycling sanitization, in the case, for example, of fish crates. These characteristics make it one of the most sustainable materials for food packaging, particularly in the fish sector.
Since 2021, AIPE has started a pilot project with the Milan Fish Market, the largest in Italy: over 200 tons of EPS are collected and recycled every year, equivalent to almost all the crates used. A concrete and replicable example of an efficient circular economy.
The regulatory framework rewards EPS
The new CAM Rifiuti Decree (Minimum Environmental Criteria for the urban waste collection service), published in the Official Journal on 19 April 2025, also recognizes EPS as other materials for separate waste collection and promotes recycling chains. This also includes micro-collection in urban areas to promote preparation for reuse and recycling.
Collaborations and commitments
AIPE actively collaborates with COREPLA for the recovery of post-use polystyrene and has signed an operational protocol since 2003 that led to the creation of PEPS platforms for collection and recycling on a national scale.
Furthermore, the Association participates in ICESP (Italian Platform for the Circular Economy) and in European projects promoted by EUMEPS. It has also signed the Operation Clean Sweep® initiative to reduce the dispersion of microplastics: almost all of the associated companies have joined.
“Our commitment is clear: to increase the volumes of recycled EPS – adds Rinaldi –. In 2022, from the packaging sector alone, we exceeded 20,000 tons recycled, with an increase of 25% compared to 2019. For the period 2023-2025 we estimate a further +15%”
A material of the present and the future
Far from commonplaces, expanded polystyrene is today one of the most traceable, recyclable and efficient materials for packaging and thermal insulation. Thanks to its reduced environmental impact in terms of weight dispersed in the sea, its buoyancy and consolidated recovery infrastructure, EPS represents a reference model in the field of the circular economy of plastics.
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AIPE - Associazione Italiana Polistirene Espanso - a non-profit organization was established in 1984 to promote and protect the image of sintered expanded polystyrene (EPS) and to develop its use and recycling according to circular economy principles.
AIPE includes companies producing raw materials, expandable polystyrene, including the most important European chemical industries, EPS transformers - both for the production of thermal insulation panels and of technical products and materials for construction and packaging - and recyclers, i.e. companies specialized in recycling.
Finally, a group of members is made up of companies manufacturing technologies for the processing of sintered expanded polystyrene and for the production of systems for construction.
At an international level, the Association represents Italy within EUMEPS, the European organization that brings together national associations of EPS producers.
The Association also works closely with organizations and institutions, directing its activity towards drafting standards and protocols in the construction, packaging and circular economy sectors.
It actively collaborates in promoting the collection and recycling of EPS in synergy with COREPLA (National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging) and, as a technical partner, with CORTEXA (Consortium that brings together the most important companies specialized in the thermal insulation sector in Italy) to convey, disseminate and share the culture of quality thermal insulation.
It supports and promotes research into new recycling projects at national and European level, participates in ICESP (Italian Platform of Circular Economy Actors) and is involved in virtuous circuits for the recycling of certain types of products, including fish crates and EPS packaging.
www.aipe.biz
Press Contacts Competence:
Tel. 02 36 747 820
Roberta Aliberti Viotti
Cell. 338 440 1106
e-mail: aliberti@compcom.it
Ester Procopio
Cell. 346 627 6413
e-mail: procopio@compcom.it
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