According to the patent for packing peanuts filed in 1962, Robert E. Holden was named as the inventor. Packing peanuts, used for packaging fragile items, was also touted as a material that could be used as insulation since it proved to be a good heat insulator.
Originally packing peanuts were made of foam, but since the 1990s there have been more “green” ingredients used such as corn or grain sorghum. “Polystyrene-based packing peanuts were invented in 1965 and have been used ever since…and can be used over and over again.
