Styron Launches CO2RE Foaming Technology for Dairy Packaging and the Food Service Industry

By reducing polystyrene packaging density, CO2RE foaming technology results in light weighting of packaging which benefits the entire value chain: converters use less raw material and energy to produce the packaging.

Nov 2 2010 --- Styron, a global materials company, announced the launch of CO2RE, a patented foaming technology aimed at helping the dairy packaging and food service industries reduce raw material consumption in packaging.

Reduced Material Consumption
The technology allows converters to produce polystyrene sheet with a foamed core layer using physical blowing agents. Styron internal tests using CO2RE foaming technology illustrate significant total density reductions of up to 20% with the potential to reduce density even further.

More Value for the Entire Supply Chain
By reducing polystyrene packaging density, CO2RE foaming technology results in light weighting of packaging which benefits the entire value chain: converters use less raw material and energy to produce the packaging, while brand owners benefit from a lower packaging waste disposable tax. The lower the density, the higher the value extracted with CO2RE foaming technology.

Convenient Implementation and Flexibility of Supply
Styron's CO2RE foaming technology is available to license globally and can be implemented on existing lines at low cost. Although CO2RE foaming technology was designed around the leading STYRON A-TECH polystyrene resins, it also performs with other polystyrene resins - flexibility has been built into the license agreement in order for customers to maintain different sourcing options.

Australian Case Study
REMA Industries and Services (RIS), an Australian packaging and food service company, is one of the converters currently implementing CO2RE foaming technology. On September 28, 2010, REMA began installation of CO2RE on its extrusion line for food service products, successfully starting up the first extrusion line equipped with the foaming technology on October 20, 2010.

Peter Whatson, Managing Director of REMA explains why the business adopted the new technology: "We're excited about the prospects of introducing the CO2RE technology into our products: not only will it benefit REMA by giving us greater margins, it will also benefit our customers because we will be able to pass on a lot of the savings that we have been able to benefit from. It is going to be a win-win for ourselves and our customers."

"This exciting technology demonstrates Styron's commitment to stay close to its customers in order to help them meet future trends in the plastic packaging market," says John Case, Global Market Manager for Packaging at Styron. "CO2RE foaming technology improves the performance/cost balance of rigid food packaging within the whole supply chain and helps reduce packaging waste. This technology is yet another example of how we continuously look for opportunities to work together with our customers to develop innovative solutions that could help them succeed in their marketplace."

Styron experts are available to assist customers in the implementation phase of the new technology to help support a successful start-up.