[Nhcoll-l] Buying ethafoam

Wed Jun 15 20:07:08 EDT 2016

Hello Teresa and list,

An FYI; not all Ethafoam is created equal! Most ethafoam used commercially for shipping and padding is blown with solvents. As the foam is cut or breaks down over time, the solvents leech through and can cause damage to objects and labels. Archival Ethafoam is blown with an inert gas (nitrogen, I believe). The 'good stuff' is available from shipping supply companies and not just museum supply sources, but the buyer needs to verify first that they're getting what they're asking for. Often, the supplier will have to go back to the original manufacturer to get information on the blowing agent. 

Of course, having any kind of padding/support is better than none for objects that need it, and budget limitations force creativity. NMNH Paleobiology often uses recycled commercial packing materials for shipping loans and temporary storage/support, while saving the expensive stuff for permanent housings, etc. 

Many thanks,Michelle PinsdorfFossil Preparator, Department of Paleobiology
Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History

    On Wednesday, June 15, 2016 6:33 PM, "Mayfield, Teresa" <tmayfield at utep.edu> wrote:

Paul,    My solution doesn’t involve buying anything, so I figured that I could respond here.  I have a budget of zero dollars for my collection.  My solution has been to hit up my waste management team at UTEP.  Ethafoam (Polyethylene foam) is used for many purposes in shipping and a lot of it ends up going in the trash.  My waste management team is keeping an eye out for such materials and bringing them to me for re-purposing as collection storage material.  I am also thinking about checking with some of my local retailers (Best Buy, Home Depot and the like) to see if they would collect Polyethylene for me.  I am going to put together some samples of the materials I could use and go visit the store managers.  I figure this is one way to manage a collection sustainably….    Adios,    Teresa J. Mayfield
Manager, UTEP Biodiversity Collections    University of Texas at El Paso
500 West University Avenue
El Paso, TX 79968*
Biology Bldg. #222    Office/Lab: (915) 747-5479  FAX: (915) 747-5808
E-mail: tmayfield at utep.edu 
*zip code 79902 for FEDEX/UPS deliveries

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