What are plastics?

Plastic isn’t just one material but a comprehensive family of materials. The word derives from the Greek word πλαστικός (plastikos), “fit for moulding”, from πλαστός (plastos) “moulded”. The common theme is plastic’s malleability, or plasticity, during production which allows it to be pressed, cast or extruded into an almost infinite number of shapes such as fibres, films, sheets, tubes, bottles, cubes and boxes.

There are two types of plastics, thermoplastic and thermoset. Thermoplastics, if exposed to heat will melt. Thermosets will keep their shape until they are charred and burnt. Some examples of thermoplastics are supermarket bags, piano keys and some automotive parts. Examples of thermosets are leisure boats and circuit boards.


Types of plastic

Polyamide

Polyamide, commonly used in the electronics industry for flexible cables, as an insulating film on magnetic wires and for medical tubing. You will also find it in your computer.

Polycarbonate

Polycarbonate is used in CDs and DVDs, along with drinking bottles and glasses, sunglasses, MP3 casing and for advertising signs, glazing and also in the manufacture of computers.

Polyethylene

Polyethylene, is very commonly in consumer products such as food packaging.

Polyethylene terephthalate

Polyethylene terephthalate – more widely known as PET – the synthetic fibre polyester but is also used for the manufacture of plastic bottles for drinks

Polypropylene

Polypropylene is fatigue resistant, which is another way of saying it doesn’t get stressed if constantly bent. So it’s used for “living hinges” on flip-top bottles and other packaging, textiles such as thermal underwear and carpets, stationery and reusable containers, loudspeakers, automotive components and even polymer banknotes. It is rugged and resistant to many chemical solvents and acids.

Polystyrene

Polystyrene in its expanded form (EPS) is commonly used as protection in packaging and for insulating buildings like the cavity between the brick walls in UK homes. Extruded polystyrene is economical and used for a variety of products including CD “jewel” cases, smoke detector housings and number plate frames.

Polyurethane

Polyurethane was pioneered by Otto Bayer in 1937 in Germany. This plastic is used in products including construction sealants, surf boards, rigid-hulled boats, electronic components, watch bands, tennis grips, filling cavity walls and adhesives.

Polyvinyl Chloride

Polyvinyl Chloride, or PVC, was accidentally discovered (at least twice) in the 19th century. It is used for clothing, blood bags, pipes, electric wires, and of course, window and door frames.

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The plastics industry

The European plastics industry is worth some £200bn and its products have become a way of life for all of us. Without them we would take us back to the 19th Century. Plastics make our lives easier in all sorts of ways, including life-saving medical devices, transportation, IT and communications, consumer goods, construction, packaging and agriculture.

In Europe alone the industry keeps 1.6m people in jobs. In the UK virtually every parliamentary constituency has at least one plastic manufacturer, creating jobs and employment for 186,000 people through 7,400 firms. Exports are worth £4.6bn a year and the industry is bigger than the combined pharmaceutical and automotive industries in Britain.

Worldwide the plastics industry is a global force.

Plastics really took off in the 1960s and in the past 50 years have driven innovation and improved our quality of life. They help us travel further, communicate more widely and live a safer, healthier and more rewarding life.

The industry is also a responsible one, with a strong commitment to the environment, in spite of what critics might say. Packaging is a big part of UK plastics consumption – around 35% of usage – and the industry is committed to being wholly honest and accountable about the associated issues.

The Plastics 2020 Challenge is sponsored by the British Plastics Federation, the Plastics and Films Association and Plastics Europe. For the first time ever the plastics industry has come together to acknowledge that, the convenience and life-saving qualities of plastics aside, a debate must be had about what happens after we put our plastics products in the bin.

We currently use one third more of the Earth’s resources than can be sustained over time. We would need two planets by 2030, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s “Living Planet” report just to sustain our current population.

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