Penny Williams and John Brownhill are working in lockstep to help revolutionize the way plastics are made – and remade. Both engineers at AmSty's Allyn's Point facility in Gales Ferry, Connecticut, this isn't the first time they've teamed up to do great things. The two met in college where you could say their friendship started on a high note. Whil...

Tim Watson and his team of six design, build and manage systems to help AmSty employees stay safe while aiming to protect the environment as much as possible and maintain public trust. They are a valuable part of the process that ensures AmSty can keep sustainable polystyrene flowing to the company's valued customers who make products we use every ...

Richard Shaw Director of Circular Economy & Sustainability I thought I knew about polystyrene, coming to AmSty in April after a three-decade career in the paper and packaging industry. But what I thought I knew didn't even scratch the surface. Having spent the last six months immersing myself in Amsty, a company leading the way in circular recy...

Randy Pogue, AmSty CEO At AmSty, our goal is to help our end customers produce the most sustainable products using polystyrene. With increasing public desire for sustainable products that enhance our everyday lives, brands are hungry for innovation that will help them meet their ambitious sustainability goals and consumer demand. We're proud of the...

I have always been fascinated by spaceflight and, in particular, the Apollo project. I was a child during those years and have vivid memories of Neil Armstrong's famous first steps onto the lunar surface. I still have the newspaper from that morning, proclaiming "Man on Moon!" That accomplishment was a triumph brought about by the collective might ...

Anne Boudreaux is captivated by food packaging. It might seem like a strange fascination, but not when you consider her upbringing and education. A chemical engineer and Amsty Senior Account Executive, Anne grew up in Delaware with a father who was in the packaging films industry. Anne understood at an early age the innovation required to move the ...

By Richard Shaw We hear it nearly every time we go through the grocery store checkout. "Paper or plastic?" My response is, "I'll take both, please!" It's a question consumers increasingly ask themselves as they weigh their broader choices for packaging and products, and the potential impact on our planet. As a result, more are pushing for a move fr...

Many consumers have no idea where plastic products go after their useful life. At AmSty's Allyn's Point facility in Gales Ferry, CT, they are giving new life to plastic products through a process that ensures they're recycled to make other new products. A supplier ships specific polystyrene, or chipped plastic, to the plant, where they undergo what...

The second-best time to innovate is now. If only I'd started putting money into a retirement account right of college.If only I'd spent more time with my kids.If only I'd developed that perfect golf swing as a teenager. Most of us can look back on our lives and beat ourselves up for opportunities – big and small – that we believe we squandered. But...

In fourth grade, I had no idea what the word sustainability meant. However, I know now that's when my sustainability journey began, and I can pinpoint the day. It was the fall of 1986 and I was excited that Mr. Gilzow, newly assigned special programs instructor and my hands-down favorite teacher at the time, was scheduled to talk to our h...

Richard Shaw, the new Director of Circular Economy & Sustainability at AmSty, came to the company in April after wrapping up a 30-year career in the paper and packaging industry – a move he describes as a natural "hand in glove" fit. "I came from an industry that's like plastics, responsibly using the earth's resources to make wonderful consume...

Diana Rodriguez is excited about the future, particularly now that the mother of four grown children is a new grandma. Protecting our planet and making it better for her family and the generations to come is what drives AmSty's Latin America Sales Director to embrace innovation in polystyrene. Armed with a background in biochemistry and an MBA, Dia...

When I joined AmSty in 2012, I came from an industry that was experiencing rapid change. I worked for a company that produced media packaging, and with the adoption of digital entertainment, these disc and cartridge-based products became obsolete nearly overnight. That experience left me with the perspective that paying attention to shifting demand...

Sustainability Lessons

I bet many of you spent time playing with LEGO® blocks as youngsters. I know I did – carefully crafting airplanes, castles, robots, speedboats. I would venture a guess that most of the LEGO® blocks we used back then are still around today – stored away, handed down, donated to a thrift store for someone else to enjoy. Those things are basically ind...