You may not necessarily know the material polystyrene foam but when I mention the name Styrofoam, you know what I am talking about. Styrofoam is not a material. It is a brand. Styrofoam is a trademarked brand associated with extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam. That’s right. It is the material commonly used to protect equipment and electronic products like TVs, and it has just been ditched by Sony in favor of a greener solution.
Sony has revealed that it is ditching the use of this not-so-environmentally-friendly material. Well, at least they are for large TVs like the BRAVIA 9, the 85” 4K Mini LED TV in HK and Taiwan. Sony is replacing the XPS cushioning material for large TVs with Kaneka Green Planet.
Kaneka Green Planet is a biomass-derived biodegradable biopolymer made by Kaneda Corporation. This material is biodegradable in a variety of environments, decomposing and returning to CO2 and water in soil and in seawater, thereby solving the problem of plastic waste pollution.
It may be just for large TVs for now but it is a start. I am not an eco-warrior but it definitely irks me to see foam pieces washed up to shore and wandering in the open waters. I also acknowledge that not all trash is the result of irresponsible acts by humans. It may be blown to somewhere by the act of nature such as a hurricane or typhoon, and so yeah, any that can break down fast into soil or water is much appreciated. You can learn more about sustainability in BRAVIA TVs HERE.
Images: Sony [UK].