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The plastics industry produces lightweight, durable, and inexpensive products that can be molded into various shapes. It has existed since the 20th century, but humans have used natural polymers for centuries. Plastics are used in many everyday items, but their widespread use creates environmental concerns. The term plastic has become synonymous with man-made objects without lasting value.
The plastics industry is a worldwide market involved in the production or use of plastics. Plastics are chemical compounds appreciated for being light, resistant and inexpensive to produce and easily modeled into many possible shapes. From plastics, also called polymers, thousands of ordinary and specialized items are produced. Plastic products therefore appear almost everywhere on Earth, even though the plastics industry has only existed since the beginning of the 20th century.
In ancient times, humans used so-called natural polymers such as rubber, hardened tree sap, or animal horn to create specialized objects that could not be made of metal, stone, or other common raw materials. These specialty items included window coverings, food and drink vessels, and jewelry. In the 1800s and 1900s, scientists unveiled the first synthetic polymers, malleable substances made from coal, petroleum or cellulose. These polymers, or plastics, soon found use as cooking vessels, electrical insulators, and housing materials. In the late 1920s, the plastics industry was setting a new standard for mass-produced goods that would shape the rest of the 20th century.
In modern times, plastics include many synthetic substances, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester and polystyrene, better known as Styrofoam. Plastic can be molded into different shapes, weights and strengths for a wide variety of uses. Many products or parts of products are made from the various plastics, including machine and automobile parts, insulation and cushioning material, and even shoes and clothing. The plastics industry has therefore become ubiquitous in most developed countries.
There are some environmental concerns about the widespread use of plastics. Because plastic is cheap to create, a lot of plastic packaging has to be used once and then discarded. This increases waste, and unlike natural materials like paper, most plastics do not biodegrade or dissolve into harmless natural materials over time. Some plastics can also create dioxin, a deadly chemical compound, when burned. Many communities and businesses support plastic recycling programs to reduce the plastic industry’s environmental impact.
The term plastic in common English usage has come to symbolize or describe anything man-made or anything that has an attractive surface but no lasting value. The word plastic is also used as a shorthand to describe objects made of plastic, such as credit cards or shopping bags. In a famous opening scene of Dustin Hoffman’s 1967 film The Graduate, an older man offers advice to the disillusioned title character. His one piece of advice, “Plastics,” is meant to depict the plastics industry as a promising employer, but instead represents the empty suburban landscape Hoffman’s character longs to escape from.
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