For more than a decade, expanded polystyrene (EPS) waffle pods have enhanced the construction of domestic housing concrete slabs, making them safer and more cost-effective. EPS pods have revolutionised slab construction by enabling stronger, better-engineered slabs to be built more quickly and economically than traditional methods. They have also significantly reduced the labour-intensive manual work typically associated with conventional concrete slab construction.
But some people have got the story wrong, and myths abound about polystyrene waffle pods and their pros and cons. That’s why the industry body Expanded Polystyrene Australia (EPSA) is working hard to educate the construction industry and the broader population about the benefits of waffle slab construction.
EPSA represents Australia’s EPS manufacturers, and its members include makers of products ranging from packaging for fresh produce to a wide variety of building and construction applications, including insulated sandwich panels, domestic wall cladding systems and under slab void former pods.
Sustainable building material
Sustainable construction increasingly focuses on reducing material weight without sacrificing structural integrity. This approach cuts raw material use, lowers transportation energy, and boosts efficiency. Examples include bridge beams with voids, Hebel blocks (air-infused cement bricks), and EPS pods (98% air, 2% polymer). These innovations maintain strength while minimising material use, making them easier to handle and environmentally friendly. By using less, the industry can reduce carbon emissions, resource depletion, and waste, aligning with global sustainability goals.
Nobody disagrees that we need to move to produce more sustainable building materials to benefit our environment and reach sustainability goals set by governments around the world.
Waffle pods made of high-quality expanded polystyrene (EPS) are a great example of sustainable building products because:
- Polystyrene pods significantly reduce cement consumption in slab construction, thereby lowering the embedded CO2 emissions of a home build.
- Their lightweight nature significantly reduces transportation emissions.
- The insulating properties of foam pods improve energy efficiency in buildings and reduce the need to add extra insulation products.
- The EPS manufacturing process minimises waste and emissions. The material is 98% air, meaning it uses less raw material without compromising quality or performance.
- It is fully recyclable, contributing to a circular economy where materials are reused instead of discarded.
- EPS pods' environmental credentials are validated by their performance in international standards such as the BRE Global Green Guide to Specification.
EPSA information campaign
The EPSA, with the backing of its members, has developed a comprehensive guide to provide much-needed information about the many benefits and environmental credentials of a waffle pod slab.
The multi-pronged campaign includes a dedicated website and a comprehensive guide.
EPSA Waffle Pod Facts website
The dedicated Waffle Pods Facts website uncovers the facts and helps visitors discover what makes EPS pods a sustainable building material.
It’s been set up to benefit architects, builders, concreters, policymakers, or those interested in sustainable building practices.
Guide: The Environmental Benefits of EPS Waffle Pods
The comprehensive guide provides all the background information, details about how polystyrene pods are manufactured, their sustainable qualities, and the efforts that manufacturers take to collect offcuts and unused EPS to recycle polystyrene. The guide can be downloaded from the Waffle Pods Facts website.
Foamex support of the EPSA
As a leading Australian manufacturer of EPS and XPS polystyrene building products, Foamex strongly supports the EPSA’s campaign.
Foamex was instrumental in developing an industry code of conduct for handling EPS products on building sites. The code covers a range of topics, including:
- The use of approved tie-down methods to secure pods during transportation and storage.
- The disposal of contaminated pods (pods that have been attached to concrete, metal, or other products).
- The polystyrene recycling of clean scrap pods.
- The prevention of pods from blowing away in windy conditions.
The Code of Conduct can be downloaded from the Waffle Pods Facts website.
Australian-made Waffle Pods from Foamex
To learn more about Foamex StyroPods, contact Foamex by calling us on 1300 AU FOAM.
