Dry ice is solid CO2 with a temperature of -78.8° C (-109° F).

At atmospheric pressure, solid CO2 sublimates directly to vapour without a liquid phase. This unique property means that the dry ice simply "disappears" when it heats up, leaving no residue or waste to be cleaned.

The CO2 used to make dry ice is a natural by-product of several industrial-manufacturing processes such as fermentation and petrochemical refining. The CO2 given off by the above production processes is captured and stored without losses until needed.

When dry ice is used no new CO2 is produced. Instead, only the original CO2 by-product is released which is why using dry ice is considered to be "carbon-neutral" and environmentally responsible.