The Italian EPS Market

AIPE (Associazione Italiana Polistirene Espanso) has prepared the annual statistical survey of the Italian EPS market for 2011. The survey provides an overview of the three production methods (blocks, preforms, and pellets) for the two principal applications (construction and packaging) and other uses.
Using 90,000 tons in 2011, the construction industry is again the main field of application, although showing a 4% drop with respect to 2010 as a result of the crisis in new building, only partially compensated by tax incentives for energy efficiency, which promote the use of EPS in retrofitting operations thanks to its excellent thermal insulation qualities.
Packaging, on the other hand, increased by some 4% over 2010 to 48,000 tons, with growth concentrated principally in preforms, which rose from 27,000 to 32,000 tons.
This and other information is provided by AIPE at its stand at PLAST 2012 (Stand C21, Hall 11) at Fiera Milano.