Keep your Carib cold in the Caribbean

ICIS polymers editor Linda Naylor sits in the sun and reflects on the insulating properties of polymer cups ...

During my recent sailing holiday to Antigua, I had the opportunity to test the insulation properties of polypropylene and polystyrene cups. On the second day of the England-West Indies test match (cricket) at the nation's beloved Recreation Ground in St John's, the polypropylene beer glasses ran out and were replaced by polystyrene ones.

I can wholeheartedly endorse the cold-retaining properties of polystyrene over polypropylene. Our Carib beer stayed cold for only a few minutes in the polypropylene cups, while the polystyrene version kept them cold for much longer. And the polystyrene punnets also kept the goat curry warm at lunchtime!

The result in the cricket match was a draw, however.