Facts on Foam

The Myths

Maybe you've heard some myths about foam and paper plates, and their impact on the environment. When thinking about a product and its impact on the environment, it is important to think about its entire lifecycle. The real environmental impact of a product must be measured from the point of acquiring the materials of which it is comprised all the way through the product's disposal.

Here are the Facts on Foam*

Foam plates actually carry a SMALLER environmental footprint than paper plates of comparable functionality (i.e. comparable paper plates).

• It takes 60% less material by weight to make a foam plate than it does to make a comparable paper plate.
• Making, using and disposing of foam plates, as opposed to comparable paper plates, generates 35% less greenhouse gas emissions.
•  Making, using and disposing of foam plates, as opposed to comparable paper plates, requires 25% less energy.

*Facts based on 2015 Life Cycle Inventory done by Franklin Associates comparing disposable plates having comparable functionality, with the foam plate weighing 4.5 grams and the polymer-coated paper plate weighing 12.0 grams.

Life Cycle Inventory

Product Life Cycle Inventory quantifies total energy and raw material requirements, energy sources, atmospheric and waterborne emissions and solid waste resulting from production and end-of-life management; essentially, what it takes to create a product and what happens when it is disposed.