Styrotek was founded by a group of San Joaquin grape growers in 1973 to develop an effective table grape transport packaging system. The goal was a packaging system which would preserve and extend the shelf-life of the fruit, while also creating a sustainable packaging material that would be light in weight, reduce transport costs, and be recyclable.
The EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam packaging company is based in Delano, Calif. and designs and manufactures packaging for the grape industry. In just eight weeks, Styrotek was able to reduce its water usage from 20 million gallons per year to 12 million. With new equipment, the package manufacturer recycles a major portion of water back into the process, and has a significant jump on its California Sustainability 2020 Plan, already below the “half-acre per year” footprint set for the company. (For more on EPS and its properties, see "Expanded Polystyrene (EPS): Ultimate Guide on Foam Insulation Material" on the Omnexus website.)