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50 Things That Made the Modern Economy

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The stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which helped create the economic world

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

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50 Things That Made the Modern Economy: Plastic

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Plastic

12/08/2017 GMT

BBC World Service - 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, Plastic

We make so much plastic these days that it takes about eight percent of oil production

We make so much plastic these days that it takes about eight percent of oil production. And despite its image problem, plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years.

A couple of decades after Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic – Bakelite – plastics were pouring out of labs around the world. There was polystyrene, often used for packaging; nylon, popularised by stockings; polyethylene, the stuff of plastic bags. As the Second World War stretched natural resources, production of plastics ramped up to fill the gap. And when the war ended, exciting new products like Tupperware hit the consumer market. These days, plastics are everywhere. We make so much plastic, it takes about eight percent of oil production – half for raw material, half for energy. And despite its image problem, and growing evidence of environmental problems, plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years. 

Producer: Ben Crighton
Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon

(Image: Plastic bottle tops, Credit: Taweesak Thiprod/Shutterstock)

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