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Building our futureSustainable Insulation with Polystyrene Foam Energy efficiency, safety, versatility, cost-effectiveness

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“Sustainable insulation is one of my major concerns – I always seek to integrate early on in my building projects durable, energy efficent insulation solutions. Polystyrene foam boards are the most cost-effective solution, yielding high energy efficiency potential and hence seriously mitigating climate-changing co2 emissions” Reinhold Kasterman, architect

Polystyrene Foam for sustainable insulation

What is Polystyrene Foam?

Polystyrene (PS) foam is a lightweight, rigid plastic insulation material, available either as EPS (Expanded Polystyrene, produced from polystyrene beads) or as XPS (directly Extruded Polystyrene).

EPS and XPS foam boards have been widely used for many decades in the construction and building industry. Tailor-made for thermal and acoustic insulation needs and easy-to-use in all types of buildings, they offer a versatile and cost-effective insulation solution.

Sustainable insulation with Polystyrene Foam

Polystyrene foams are durable materials, designed to offer superior, constant insulation performance over their entire service life of more than 50 years.

Recent studies have demonstrated that building insulation is the most cost-effective way to significantly alleviate the global warming effect of greenhouse gases by drastically reducing CO2 emissions.

Buildings insulated with polystyrene foam boards achieve optimum levels of energy efficiency, meeting the most stringent pieces of relevant legislation, including the EU Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings.

The use of polystyrene foam reduces significantly heat losses and related CO2 emissions from heating and/or air conditioning, thus contributing strongly to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Polystyrene foam boards have no Global Warming Potential: they contain no ozone-depleting substances, and deliver optimal energy efficiency at an affordable price.

Recycling Polystyrene Foam boards

Polystyrene is already one of the most recycled plastics. Unlike the main competitive insulation materials, polystyrene is easily recycled. For instance, not only do EPS and XPS manufacturers recycle factory waste into insulation boards, but post-consumer EPS packaging waste is also collated and included to optimise costs and reduce the need for virgin material.

Polystyrene has a long life time in buildings and so there is little current need for recycling this material. Since polystyrene foam does not degrade or deteriorate, it can be readily recycled in several ways at the end of its useful lifetime:• Added back into new polystyrene foam

insulation boards• Moulded into new applications such as plant pots,

coat hangers, park benches or fence posts

Recovering the stored energy in Polystyrene Foam• Because polystyrene is made from oil, the stored

energy of both EPS and XPS boards can be recovered in modern incinerators and then used for local heating and for the generation of electricity

For ultimate disposal, polystyrene remains inert and will not decompose to generate greenhouse gases or degenerate to pollute the air, water or ecosystems. Polystyrene in soil can also aid aeration for better regeneration.

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Optimising insulation with Polystyrene Foam

Key properties of Polystyrene Foam

Technical versatility• Lightweight, rigid & easy to install• Long-term, durable material (over 50 years of

service life)• Excellent thermal insulation performance,

constant over time• Structural integrity throughout service life,

no ageing effect• Resistant to water absorption, no sagging • Resistant to mechanical loadings, walkable,

high compression strength• Mould resistant, inert, biologically neutral• No smouldering or glowing in case of fire• Shock absorption. Proven efficiency for

seismic isolation

Health & safety • No need for personal protective equipment

or clothing for workers• No irritation from released fibres or dust in

installation and use• No chemical binders • Safe for consumers - no exposure to harmful

substances during service life

Environmental performance• Stable and durable (no degradation by moisture,

rotting, or mould)• Low environmental impact during production

and installation• Easily and completely recyclable/recoverable,

mechanically (EPS) or thermally (EPS and XPS)

Fit and cost-effective • PS foam cover the most complete range of

applications supported by European and national building standards and technical approvals

• An extremely cost-effective insulation material

Applications

Polystyrene foam is used for a wide range of insulation applications, in the residential, commercial, institutional and industrial building sectors. From roof and floors to walls, from cavity fill to perimeter insulation, polystyrene foam provides versatile insulation solutions, adapted to every situation.

Polystyrene foam is also used widely for civil engineering. Despite its light weight, its exceptional compressive strength and block rigidity means that it is an ideal structural base infill material for many civil engineering applications. Applications include road, railway and bridge infrastructures where not only does it bring long term mechanical performance but also a reduction in construction time.

Thermal insulation of flat roofs

On top of a watertight layer, it ensures optimal heat control and

allows walking on roof without harming insulation properties

Perimeter insulation Protection of foundations from moisture and frost

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55Seismic isolationExcellent shock absorbing properties

Exterior wall insulationHeat regulation,

protection against water Floor insulationPreventing heat losses, protection

against noise and used as a support for underfloor heating pipes

Interior fittingEasy-to-fit heat

and noise protection

Thermal insulation of flat roofs

On top of a watertight layer, it ensures optimal heat control and

allows walking on roof without harming insulation properties

Thermal insulation of steep roofs

Effective insulation, even in the sharpest roof inclinations Ceiling heat insulation

Additional noise and heat protection

Sandwich boardsBallasted insulation, combined

with e.g. gypsum boards

Perimeter insulation Protection of foundations from moisture and frost

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Polystyrene Foam in use• Over 200 million homes in Europe are insulated with

polystyrene foam• Polystyrene foam boards offer an average service life

of over 50 years, with constant insulating performance• Easy to install, polystyrene foam is a rigid and

lightweight material• Stable and durable, its resistance to mould, rotting

and moisture make it an ideal solution in difficult, humid climate conditions

Energy aspectsA study by GUA in 2006 demonstrated that the use of plastic insulation in buildings has a dramatic impact already on energy consumption, without having yet optimised the insulation levels. It concluded that the net energy saving of all plastics insulation (floors, walls, roofs) in Europe is a minimum of 9500 Million GJ, or:• 20% of the total final energy consumption of the

EU in 2002• 800 big oil tankers (260kt crude oil each)• The energy needed by 61 nuclear power plants with

1500MW power

The political and environmental emphasis today is on cost-effective energy efficiency and climate change mitigation. The polystyrene foam industry, as an important part of the broader insulation industry, has a major role to play in supply of thermal insulation materials to reduce thermal energy losses in buildings and help meet rapidly approaching legislative deadlines.

Health & Safety• Polystyrene foam boards can be safely manipulated

without specific personal protective equipment or clothing

• There is no irritation from released fibres or dust in installation and use

An essential industry • Insulation is recognised as the most immediate

and affordable means to fight climate change. The polystyrene foam industry substantially contributes to meeting the European regulatory agenda, promoting insulation at an affordable price in order to reduce energy demand and consequent CO2 gas emission.

• There are 22 EPS production facilities, 56 XPS production facilities, and around 604 EPS converters in Europe, distributed across all countries to serve local needs optimally

• The polystyrene foam industry employs 65000 workers in Europe

• The value added of the industry is ¤430 million (excluding trade)

Tailor-made products and services• Polystyrene foam manufacturers and converters are

present all over Europe, covering local and regional markets

• Many companies have construction-trained staff with first-hand experience of building sites and offer assistance to their customers in selecting, designing and using their products

Facts & figures on Polystyrene Foam

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A Hot Topic In order to comply with building regulations for fire performance in several countries, both EPS beads and XPS boards can be supplied in flame retardant quality. Flame retarded insulation boards are manufactured from this material, thus helping to ensure an improved protection of lives and property in the event of a fire. The flame retardant properties are currently achieved by the addition of a small amount of a brominated material: hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), which is incorporated into the polymer matrix.

Whilst posing no risk to the insulation board consumers, HBCD has been identified under a recent EU Risk Assessment as a PBT substance (Persistent, Bioaccumalative, Toxic), entailing risk to the environment; it will therefore be subject to Authorisation under the EU REACH Regulation as of August 2015. HBCD is also under review at UN-ECE and UNEP level for possible classification as a POP (Persistant Organic Pollutant) substance.

The polystyrene foam industry is committed to working with the relevant authorities under the REACH and UN-ECE and UNEP processes to ensure continued use of flame retarded polystyrene foam.

In line with its commitment to Responsible Care®, industry is proactively anticipating this evolving regulatory situation:• Alternative flame retardants were identified

via a cooperative industry research programme. One of these new retardants is currently being commercialised and is likely to progressively replace HBCD in PS foam board applications requiring flame-retarded grade:

– Industry is working with EU and UN authorities to secure a temporary exemption for the continued and controlled use of HBCD in PS foam boards during the transition to a new flame retardant

• HBCD is part of a comprehensive emission control and reporting programme on brominated flame retardants (www.vecap.info)

• The PS foam industry is also promoting appropriate end-of-life treatment for HBCD-containing PS foam boards

The polystyrene foam industry actively manages the impact of its products across its entire lifecycle, from production to end-of-life, at individual company level and in joint industry actions, such as: • The elaboration of an XPS Environmental Product

Declaration (EPD), describing the environmental impact of XPS boards across their lifecycle

• The CE marking of EPS Boards to conform with the strictest European building standards, notably those attached to the EU Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC

• An industry-initiated quality control of EPS boards on a country by country basis

• Active participation in the EU Risk Assessment of HBCD (Hexabromocyclododecane) and in its further handling under the EU REACH Regulation

“Polystyrene foam offers a versatile solution enabling us to meet at a reasonable cost stringent insulation requirements in our building and construction work; easy to use and safe to handle, polystyrene foam boards are materials of choice for our industry.”Eric Misson-Plassard, Purchasing Manager, Construction company

A responsible industry

This brochure is published by EXIBA and PlasticsEurope. For additional information on polystyrene foam, please visit www.exiba.org, www.plasticseurope.org © EXIBA/PlasticsEurope 2012 7

Avenue E. van Nieuwenhuyse 4/3B-1160 Brussels - BelgiumPhone: +32 (0)2 675 32 97Fax: +32 (0)2 675 39 35

www.plasticseurope.org

2012

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The European Extruded Polystyrene Insulation Board AssociationAvenue E. Van Nieuwenhuyse, 4B - 1160 Brussels, BelgiumPhone: +32 (0)2 676 72 62

www.exiba.org