Food service packaging manufacturer Genpak plans to close its manufacturing facility in Cedar City, Utah, by May 23, the company announced this week. The closure will affect approximately 200 employees, Genpak said.
That plant produces a “large volume of polystyrene containers,” according to the company. It cited “rising legislative polystyrene bans in neighboring states” that prohibit the sale of single-use foam containers, table ware and cups as the reason for the shutdown. Nearby states with such bans include California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
“Genpak realigned our manufacturing facilities to coincide with legislative changes and consumer demand,” said President Jeff Hebert in the announcement.
It’s not the first such closure for Genpak. In 2024, it closed a food service container manufacturing facility in Middletown, New York, impacting 138 employees, and also cited polystyrene packaging bans as a factor in that decision. New York’s EPS foam ban has been in effect since 2022.
Other manufacturers in this space such as Dart Container have also blamed such laws for manufacturing shutdowns. Additional states also continue to consider their own EPS ban legislation, including Alaska and Illinois.
Still, Genpak has also invested in polystyrene product manufacturing elsewhere. For example, in 2025 the company invested $6.7 million to upgrade a facility in Scottsburg, Indiana.
Genpak has existed since 1969 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company has operated a plant in Cedar City since 1994, according to the Salt Lake Tribune, and in 2011 it announced a $22 million expansion there. Genpak said it will offer severance packages, outplacement support and benefits assistance to the laid off Cedar City workers.
Genpak said in this week’s announcement that businesses affected by foam bans can reach out regarding “suitable alternatives.” It offers other types of plastic containers as well as compostable molded fiber food service options.
