Omar Khalid
Plastic is everywhere. From pillows to toothbrushes, keyboards to food containers, it's impossible to go a day without encountering some form of plastic. The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the Plastics Age due to the influence and ubiquity of this material. But where did it all start? The history of plastic can be divided into four parts, from the use of natural materials with plastic-like properties to the creation of synthetic polymers. The first synthetic polymer was invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt, inspired by the need for an alternative to ivory, and the first fully synthetic plastic was invented in 1907 by Leo Baekeland. This marked the beginning of the world's obsession with plastic, which has had major benefits for mankind but also raised serious environmental concerns.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country where plastic was invented | New York, United States |
| First fully synthetic plastic | Bakelite |
| Year plastic was invented | 1907 |
| Inventor of plastic | Leo Baekeland |
| Plastic production in 2023 | Asia (except China and Japan), Oceania, Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan |
| Largest producer of plastic in 2023 | Not specified, but represents 33% of global plastic production |
| Plastic manufacturing countries | China, Vietnam, Mexico, South Korea, Brazil, India, Germany, Italy |
| Plastic waste by countries | 20 countries produce 70% of all plastic waste |
| Plastic waste in the ocean by countries | Middle-income countries, especially across Asia |
| Plastic recycling | 9% of plastic is recycled each year |
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What You'll Learn
Top plastic-manufacturing countries
The world's first fully synthetic plastic was Bakelite, invented in New York in 1907 by Leo Baekeland, who coined the term "plastics". Today, dozens of different types of plastics are produced, and the industry is expected to reach a global market size of USD 754.3 billion by 2027.
The top exporting countries of plastic items are China, Germany, and the USA, which together accounted for 78% of global plastic exports in 2018. China is the world's largest producer of plastic, with a competitive edge in coal-based plastics. Germany is the second-largest producer, with around 8% of global plastic production, and the United States exports approximately three times more plastic products than it imports.
Other major plastic-manufacturing countries include South Korea, Italy, Vietnam, Mexico, Brazil, and Japan. South Korea's LG Chem, for example, is one of the world's largest plastic manufacturers, with eight factories in the country and a network of 29 business locations in 15 countries. In 2019, the Vietnamese plastics industry produced 8.89 million tons of products, contributing an estimated $17.5 billion to the national economy. Mexico, meanwhile, is home to over 4,100 plastic companies, making it the 11th largest manufacturer of plastic products globally.
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Plastic waste by country
The world has a plastic pollution crisis. Since 1950, more than 8 billion tons of plastic have been produced, with more than half ending up in landfills and only about 9% being recycled. While plastic waste on land is a concern, a large percentage of plastic that isn't recycled, incinerated, or sent to landfills ends up in the oceans, creating even larger problems.
Plastic waste generation varies across countries, with larger, more populous countries producing more plastic waste overall. However, when looking at waste generation per capita, the ranking changes significantly. High-income countries, such as the United States, Canada, and the U.K., generate high amounts of plastic waste per person but are also better at processing it safely. Middle- and low-income countries, on the other hand, tend to have higher percentages of mismanaged waste plastic, which is more likely to end up in the ocean.
China, for example, was the largest producer of plastic waste in 2010, with 59.08 million tons. However, through various initiatives, China reduced its plastic waste production to 21.60 million tons by 2016, a decrease of nearly 28 million tons. Despite being a major producer, China's per capita production is one of the lowest in the world.
Germany, another high-income country, produced 14.48 million tons of plastic waste in 2010, with a high daily plastic waste generation per person of 0.46 kilograms. By 2016, Germany had reduced its plastic waste creation to 6.68 million tons through various initiatives, including a five-point plan introduced by the Environment Ministry in 2018.
Brazil, the fifth-largest country in the world, is also a significant contributor to plastic waste, ranking as the fourth-largest producer. The United States, a major exporter of plastic products, is expected to increase its plastic production due to record plant expansions and the expansion of shale drilling, which has increased crude oil and natural gas production.
While the accumulation of plastics in the ocean has historically been attributed to higher-income countries across Europe and North America, recent studies indicate that middle-income countries, particularly in Asia, are now major contributors. A 2017 study estimated that Asian countries contributed 86% of plastic emissions to the ocean. This highlights the critical importance of improving waste management strategies and investing in waste management infrastructure in these regions.
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Plastic recycling rates
Some types of plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), are not widely recycled due to the complexity of the process, despite being commonly used in packaging, construction, and automotive industries. Recycling rates for PVC in Europe are estimated at just 3% for post-consumer waste. Other types of plastics, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used for drinks bottles, are known to be more recyclable.
According to the American Chemistry Council, less than 1% of post-consumer polypropylene (PP) waste is recycled. In contrast, a US study found that plastic bottles made from PP had a recycling rate of 15.4% in 2020. Polystyrene (PS), widely used in food packaging, is not commonly recycled due to bulkiness and high contamination rates. Estimates for PS recycling rates in the UK are around 1-2%, while data from the US Environmental Protection Agency shows a rate of 3.6% in 2018.
Overall, global recycling rates for plastic remain low, with less than 10% of all plastic ever produced being recycled. In 2019, OECD countries in the European Union, India, and China achieved recycling rates of 12-13%. The US recycling rate was even lower, at 4.5%, according to OECD data. Despite improvements in recycling rates, the complexities of plastic recycling and the limitations of current technologies continue to pose challenges.
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Environmental impact of plastic
Plastic has had major benefits for mankind, from medical devices to light-weight construction materials. However, it is also the basis of widespread environmental concerns. Plastic pollution has become ubiquitous in natural and built environments, raising concerns about potential harm to humans and nature alike.
Plastic pollution is persistent and may take between 100 to 1,000 years or more to decompose, depending on environmental conditions. Once in the environment, plastic pollution can fragment into smaller pieces of plastic, known as microplastics. These microplastics are plastic particles ranging in size from five millimeters to one nanometer. Nanoplastics, on the other hand, are plastic particles smaller than one micrometer. Both microplastics and nanoplastics are found in every ecosystem on the planet, from the Antarctic tundra to tropical coral reefs.
Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to the marine environment. It puts marine species at higher risk of ingesting plastic, suffocating, or becoming entangled. Research indicates that more than 1,500 species in marine and terrestrial environments are known to ingest plastics.
The burning of plastic waste is also a cause for concern. Incomplete combustion can cause emissions of hazardous substances such as acid gases and ash, which can contain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins. These pollutants can have harmful impacts on human health and the environment.
The environmental impact of plastic pollution is not limited to a single country or region. Richer countries have been polluting the oceans for longer periods, and if we look at accumulated stocks of plastics in the ocean, higher-income countries across Europe and North America play a larger role. However, more recently, most plastic flowing into the ocean comes from middle-income countries, particularly across Asia. Domestic policies to improve waste management will be crucial in reducing plastic pollution, but richer countries can also contribute through foreign investments in waste management infrastructure.
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History of plastic
The word "plastic" comes from the Ancient Greek πλαστικός (plastikos), meaning "capable of being shaped or moulded", which itself comes from πλαστος (plastos), meaning "molded" or "formed".
The first synthetic polymer was invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt, who treated cellulose derived from cotton fibre with camphor to create a plastic that could be crafted into a variety of shapes and made to imitate natural substances like tortoiseshell, horn, linen, and ivory. This invention was revolutionary as, for the first time, human manufacturing was not constrained by the limits of nature.
In 1907, Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, meaning it contained no molecules found in nature. This marked the beginning of the global plastics industry, although rapid growth in global plastic production didn't happen until the 1950s.
The 20th and 21st centuries have been dubbed the "Plastics Age", with plastics pervading all aspects of society. Plastic's adaptability, combined with a wide range of other properties such as low weight, durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, low toxicity, and low-cost production, has led to its widespread use around the world. The primary uses for plastic include packaging, which makes up about 40% of its usage, and building and construction, which accounts for about 20%.
Despite the many benefits of plastics, they have also become the basis of widespread environmental concerns due to their slow decomposition rate in natural ecosystems. Most plastic produced has not been reused, with much of it ending up in landfills or as plastic pollution. Particular concern focuses on microplastics, which have been found to enter the food chain.
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Frequently asked questions
The first plastic, Parkesine, was invented in the UK by Birmingham-born artisan-cum-chemist Alexander Parkes in 1862. However, the first fully synthetic plastic, Bakelite, was invented in the US in 1907 by Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland.
The invention of plastic was inspired by the need for a substitute for ivory, which was used in products like billiard balls. The growing popularity of billiards had put a strain on the supply of natural ivory, which was obtained through the slaughter of wild elephants.
Prior to the invention of synthetic plastic, plastic was made using natural substances like cellulose, which is derived from the cotton fiber of plants.
Today, roughly half of all plastic production takes place in East Asia, with China being the largest single producer, accounting for 31% of total plastic resin production in 2020.
