Polystyrene is a plastic that gets used in a variety of applications. Better known by its trade name “styrofoam,” this resin can be used as a solid or foamed, creating a light material capable of cushioning products as packing peanuts, formed into a surfboard, a disposable razor blade, or DVD tray.
However, just like other kinds of synthetic plastics, it sucks for the environment. When turned into foam, the bulky pieces of plastic float around waterways and wash up onto shores as non-biodegradable trash, slowly leeching microscopic pieces of plastic into the environment for hundreds of years.
Cruz Foam co-founder and CEO John Felts, an alumnus of UC Santa Cruz, loves surfing but realized that the material used to catch a wave was also causing it harm. That’s because surfboards are now primarily made from two materials—polyurethane and expanded polystyrene (EPS). Both are lightweight, strong, and buoyant, all desirable qualities for surfboards. Polyurethane boards tend to be heavier and harder to ride for beginners than EPS versions, making them popular among surfers. But with over 2.5 million riders and over 400,000 boards produced a year, it also fuels the production and demand of styrofoam that will stick around well after its rider gets eaten up by the 50-year storm.
