By Sydney S.
Welcome to the second Sustainable Saplings series! In this 3-part series, we will explore all things plastic. This series will provide a greater understanding as to why plastic has become so pervasive, the problems plastic causes, and steps we Midwesterners can take to address these problems. As always, Sustainable Saplings is here to educate – not to judge or guilt – our readers. We ask that you do the same while reading this series. It is easy to become overwhelmed by these large-scale topics, but even the smallest consumer choices are impactful to our planet. Most consumers cannot give up plastic entirely because companies have made it near-impossible to do so. The best thing you can do is to learn about plastic, think about the ways you rely on plastic, and decide if reducing your plastic consumption is right for you!
How Plastic is Created
The average person hears about the petrochemical industry and fossil fuels when the media references plastic production, but it’s important to start with the foundation of how plastic is created. If you’re a visual learner, I highly recommend checking out the quick but informative Plastics 101 video from National Geographic.1 Otherwise, here’s a quick primer:
- Crude oil (aka petroleum) and natural gas are extracted from the earth.
- Crude oil, natural gas, and coal are considered the main 3 types of fossil fuels.2
- Natural gas is refined into propane, and crude oil into ethane.
- Propane is “cracked” to create propylene, and ethane into ethylene.
- A catalyst is added to combine the materials together i.e. “polymerize” to create resins.
- Propylene becomes polypropylene.
- Ethylene becomes polyethylene.
- Resins are melted, cooled, and cut into tiny pellets called “nurdles”.
- Nurdles are what companies use to create plastic items like bottles.
History of Plastic
Plastic, as it turns out, has quite the hero-to-villain origin story. It was created as an alternative to ivory and tortoise shells, which in the 19th and 20th century was used for items like billiard balls, piano keys, and combs. Producers of these items realized the eventual extinction of elephants would result from continuing to harvest ivory for these items, and in 1869 an alternative was created by John Westley Hyatt he called “celluloid.” According to the article “A Brief History of Plastic’s Conquest of the World” by Susan Freinkel, Hyatt’s company produced a marketing pamphlet on celluloid’s versatility, touting it as an alternative material to ivory, thereby allowing wildlife like elephants and turtles a “respite” from poaching.3 The irony in celluloid’s creation is undeniable, as the plastic we now use today is being consumed by – and potentially harming and killing – an untold number of animals.
Bakelite, created by Dr. Leo Baekeland in 1907, was the first synthetic plastic created. Like it’s elder sibling, celluloid, Bakelite was initially produced for multi-use products, but distinguished itself due to its strength and resistance to heat. Products made of Bakelite such as telephones, jewelry, game pieces, buttons, and dishes poured into the market.
The appetite for plastic products only increased after WWII. Consumers previously limited by wartime rationing and the Great Depression were now able to indulge in the booming economy. Thermosetting plastics like Bakelite were quickly overtaken by thermoplastic. Where thermoset plastic could only be set once and isn’t recyclable, thermoplastic can be set, melted down again, and reset multiple times.4 As the uses for plastic grew, it soon became clear why plastic was superior over other traditional materials. Unlike glass, paper, and metal, plastic prevailed as the lighter weight, flexible, and waterproof solution. Eventually the tried-and-true parchment and waxed paper, glass, aluminum foil, and tin packaging was replaced by the seemingly faultless material.
Check out Series II, where we’ll dive into the current state of plastics and the issues surrounding plastics recycling.
Sources:
1: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/topic/planetorplastic
3: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-brief-history-of-plastic-world-conquest/
4: https://www.modorplastics.com/plastics-learning-center/thermoset-vs-thermoplastics/
Additional References:
https://thisisplastics.com/plastics-101/155-years-of-plastic/
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/bakelite.html
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