LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vericool, makers of the only high-performing, compostable insulation and recyclable cold chain packaging on the market, today released the following statement regarding the EPS Industry Alliance’s (EPS-IA) repeated attempts to prevent Vericool from repeating well-documented facts about the dangers and the ineffectual ‘recyclability’ of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam packaging. The EPS-IA sent a pedantic and hostile letter to Vericool, disputing verifiable statistics and estimates of EPS’ impact, rather than addressing the main issue: that EPS is demonstrably bad for the environment, and Vericool’s Vericoolers® are the environmentally friendly replacement solution. In response, Vericool sent a response letter to EPS-IA with ample evidential support for its previous claims; Darrell Jobe, Founder and CEO of Vericool, then issued the following statement based on that letter:
“For decades, shippers of temperature-sensitive products have been forced to rely upon EPS foam coolers to ship their goods, but now, our sustainable, high performance and low cost Vericoolers® provide shippers with a universally better alternative—and the EPS industry doesn’t like it. Simply put, the EPS industry’s heavy-handed attempt to silence us from discussing well-documented facts about EPS foam and its damage to the environment has only strengthened our resolve to replace it in the market. Let it be known that Vericool will not be threatened into submission by an industry dedicated to the pollution of our planet, our ecosystems, and our bodies.
“According to QYR Chemical & Material Research Center analysis, over 846.9 million EPS coolers were produced globally in 2016. QYR sources its data from the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organizations and the EPS Industry Alliance. Using 0.5/lbs. as a weight of an EPS foam cooler and multiplying that weight by the number of estimated EPS foam coolers produced in 2016 (846,904,000) equals 423,452,000 lbs. of EPS foam coolers. Even this number, though, is likely understated because some coolers weigh more than 0.5/lbs.
“To be clear, expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is bad for the environment; this is not news, this is fact, and Vericool will continue to repeat this publicly-available, easily-proven, often-researched, frequently-published fact. The main EPS-IA defense to this end—that ‘EPS can be recycled’—is a failure with an inherent conflict at its core. Since EPS lasts hundreds of years and only recycling with a 100% success rate will really solve the problem, the only successful EPS ‘recycling’ means greatly reduced production of EPS. Should the EPS-IA seek to reduce its production, Vericoolers® are a seamless fit to assume the market demand.
“Given the most recent negative news coverage of the EPS industry—including myriad expanded polystyrene bans for food containers and other packaging in multiple states, including California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and the District of Columbia among others, as well as internationally, it would make sense that the industry would be observant over digital and social mediums.
“With all the problems the EPS industry is facing, it is very telling that the industry has chosen to target Vericool; this quite clearly indicates that the EPS industry knows already what the rest of the world will soon come to appreciate: that Vericool’s Vericoolers® are a serious threat to EPS. Despite the risks, people and companies will continue to use EPS until there is an environmentally friendly alternative, and EPS has realized that among all the competing contenders, Vericool poses the greatest threat.
“In issuing this statement, Vericool seeks to shine a light on the strong-arm tactics of the EPS-IA, an industry under rightful, global condemnation for its environmentally detrimental product, which has hurt and continues to hurt our planet. Vericool refuses to be silent or to be subjected to intimidation tactics. EPS is bad for the planet—we stand by it.”
To learn more about Vericool and the company’s Vericoolers® and join the fight against EPS waste, follow the company on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit the company’s website: www.vericoolpackaging.com.
About Vericool, Inc.
Based in Livermore, Calif., Vericool delivers sustainable packaging that protects products, people and the planet. RecyclapostableTM Vericoolers® are the only high-performing compostable insulation and recyclable cold chain packaging in the market, making them the safest replacement for EPS (commonly referred to as Styrofoam®). Patented and patent-pending Vericoolers® are cost-effective and reliable, ensuring that food, medicines and other temperature sensitive products stay cool from packaging to receipt. Customizable and high-performing, Vericoolers® can perform to customer-defined ASTM and ISTA standards. Vericool is all about delivering second chances for people and companies to do the right thing for the planet. Those that get it—Vericooler® it.
To learn more about Vericool Packaging, visit http://www.vericoolpackaging.com or follow the company on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.