EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam has had a continued presence in hospitality manufacturing due to it being lightweight, insulated, easy to work with, and cost effective. However, this type of foam often fragments off into thousands of tiny beads that not only take hundreds of years to break down but also become harmful microplastics that get passed through the ecosystem.
With EPS pieces building up in landfills and oceans, it has become a major contributor to global waste.
The amount of single-use EPS pieces used to package furniture that goes into new hotel projects every year likely equates to multiple football fields worth of waste.
More sustainable packaging solutions
BERMANFALK, as a leader within the hospitality manufacturing industry, is paving the way to a new sustainable standard of honeycomb cardboard packaging.
In terms of durability and protection of products, honeycomb packaging has been shown to provide better impact resistance to edges and corners, as well as puncture damage. Through SGS’s – ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) testing, the packaging performs better during drop tests and is less likely to show damage to the product.
This material has become common in retail settings but has been challenging to apply to hospitality projects due to product customization and tight timelines.
Honeycomb packaging requires a more thorough pre-planning schedule—it’s not as straightforward as custom cutting a block of foam on the spot. Instead, material thickness, size, and empty space need to be determined in advance of packaging.
The challenges of honeycomb packaging
While the transition to honeycomb packaging had its challenges, especially when materials like plastic bags and tape are still needed, the biggest takeaway for BERMANFALK was the environmental impact that was being made. There are simple ways to move the needle by improving upon what already exists.
In fact, the change has been easier than anticipated. Not only were the company’s cost implications negligible, but there has been no substantial shift in the protection quality of the product as well.
The BERMANFALK team is hopeful that removing EPS from the manufacturing process will result in a chain reaction within the industry to reduce foam in our environment. Needless to say, small changes can make a big impact.
This sponsored content was created collaboratively by BERMANFALK and HD.
