This article was first published in Italian by Pesce in Rette on June 27, 2025
EPS Fish Boxes: Packaging that Combines Efficiency and Recycling
Despite its controversial image, EPS remains one of the most efficient and traceable materials for the fish industry. And the data confirms it.
By Alice Giacalone – 27 June 2025 – In Focus, Markets, News, Sustainability
Polystyrene boxes for fish are once again in the spotlight in the increasingly heated debate on the environmental impact of packaging. Not due to a new accusation, but to a reassessment based on concrete data. Far from being an environmental problem, EPS (expanded polystyrene) proves to be one of the most traceable, recyclable, and high-performing materials used by the fish supply chain.
Contrary to distorted perceptions fuelled by evocative images of defaced beaches, studies show a very different reality. The Danish Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with the National Fisheries Agency, found that although EPS accounts for around 11% of plastic waste by number on the Baltic Sea coasts, it represents less than 1% by weight. In countries such as Sweden and Germany, this percentage is even lower. Even the analysis of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – the world’s largest floating plastic island – estimates that expanded materials account for less than 5% of the total weight.
In the national context, the Italian Expanded Polystyrene Association (AIPE) confirms that Italian data aligns with international figures. “EPS is visible, lightweight and buoyant. This makes it easy to collect and recycle, but also subject to visual prejudice,” said Giuseppe Rinaldi, AIPE President. “A paradigm shift is needed: not counting objects, but assessing the real impact by weight.”
The fish sector is well aware of the qualities of EPS: non-toxic, moisture-resistant, extremely lightweight (98% air), and 100% recyclable, it is the material of choice for packaging fresh fish. Since 2021, for instance, the Milan Fish Market, the largest in Italy, has launched a virtuous project with AIPE enabling the recovery and recycling of over 200 tonnes of EPS each year, equating to nearly all the boxes used. A model of circular economy that can – and should – be replicated.
Today, thanks to collaboration with COREPLA and participation in initiatives such as Operation Clean Sweep®, the entire EPS supply chain is moving towards greater environmental efficiency. The new CAM Waste Decree, published in April 2025, officially recognises EPS as a material suitable for separate collection and preparation for reuse, including in urban contexts.
The real challenge, if anything, is communicative. In an era when environmental impact is often narrated more than measured, EPS suffers from a bad reputation not supported by facts. Yet it represents a valuable ally for all actors in the fish supply chain, from fisheries to large-scale retail, including logistics, processing, and distribution. Thermal efficiency, hygiene, lightness, and traceability are features that, combined with an already operational recycling infrastructure, make it an option deserving of strategic attention, not stigma.
EPS thus confirms itself as a strategic material for the fish industry. Not only for its technical efficiency, but also for its real sustainability, backed by data. At a time when environmental narratives risk overshadowing the evidence, it is essential to return to numbers and to concrete experiences already active in the field.
Exploring the conscious use of EPS in one’s business can make a difference – in terms of real sustainability, traceability, and virtuous packaging management.
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