Ecofoam

The Acquisitions Librarian forwarded to me a query from ACQNET that I'm
passing on to this forum.

Apparently some vendors are using "ecofoam" produced by American
Excelsior Company.  It is described as a "starch-based loose fill",
which will readily decompose.  It apparently does disintegrate easily in
water.

This doesn't seem any better to me than the popcorn that was used by
Harrasowitz (and others).  I would think that the ecofoam in a box which
got wet could easily turn into a gooey paste.

Have others heard of this product or seen it?  Which vendors are using
it?  How can we educate vendors about the preservation concerns of
packing material?

Marcia Watt, Yale University Library

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 5:34
                 Distributed: Sunday, December 22, 1991
                        Message Id: cdl-5-34-004
                                  ***