Category: News

When making decisions, our brains rely on two complementary systems. Psychologists call them System 1 (fast, automatic, intuitive) and System 2 (slow, effortful, analytical). Both are essential. But when important choices are made too quickly, System 1 can lead us to draw misleading conclusions. In a recent issue of his Beyond Fast and Easy Answers

A new lifecycle assessment (LCA) by RDC Environment (2025) provides comprehensive evidence on the environmental performance of fish box systems used in chilled seafood transport. The study compares three formats — single-use expanded polystyrene (EPS), laminated cardboard, and reusable plastic boxes — using standardised ISO 14040/44 and PEF-compliant methods. The functional unit is defined as

As the INC-5.2 plastics treaty talks unfold in Geneva, a striking inconsistency emerges in public reasoning: we assign very different responsibility depending on the material, even when the real-world harm is similar. We trace this shift to our fast emotional thinking (System 1)—which is drawn to dramatic material effects and narrative villains. But such inconsistent

From 5 to 14 August, negotiators meet in Geneva to resume the fifth and final round of UN treaty negotiations on plastic pollution. NEPSA is present as part of the Global EPS Sustainability Alliance (GESA), contributing to discussions on how circularity, responsibility, and material performance are reflected in the future global framework. Delegation and context

The Nordic Expanded Polystyrene Alliance (NEPSA) has launched an open-access library of editorially verified case studies documenting how expanded polystyrene (EPS) is being recycled and reused in practice. The initiative is designed not only to provide transparency—but to inspire replication, collaboration, and system improvement. With over 50 cases at launch—and more added on a rolling

NEPSA will participate in this year’s Foam Expo Europe, held in Stuttgart from 11–13 November 2025, where Director Chresten Heide-Anderson is featured as one of the first confirmed speakers in the conference programme. The three-day conference gathers leaders across the foam supply chain, with key themes ranging from circular design and smart foams to the

RecyClass, a cross-industry initiative based in Brussels, has released its latest update to the Design for Recycling Guidelines, this time explicitly including EPS packaging—such as fish boxes and white goods—in both the guidelines and the associated Recyclability Evaluation Protocols (RecyClass, petnology.com). These refinements are based on 18 independent testing campaigns conducted in 2024. They examine

Polystyrene recycling in North London saw a remarkable 56% increase during 2024–25, rising from 6.87 tonnes to 10.74 tonnes—a shift driven by enhanced infrastructure and public engagement at NLWA’s reuse and recycling centres (RRCs) (nlwa.gov.uk). Over the same period, residents delivered 7,000 more tonnes of reusable and recyclable material—a volume equivalent to nearly 438 double-decker buses—to RRCs,