Polpylast presents: a brief history of plastic

Plastic and its uses are not new discoveries. But when you look at its history, you can see that plastic—which seems like such a common material—hasn’t always been so widespread.

1736 – Rubber

French naturalists accidentally discover rubber plants in the Amazon Basin.

1870 – Celluloid

The Hyatt brothers invent celluloid, the first artificial plastic, which is used in ping-pong balls.

1907 – Synthetic polymer

Leo Baekeland discovers phenol formaldehyde resins, the oldest synthetic industrial polymer. The material will be used for telephone casings, pot handles, etc.

1935 – Synthetic fibres

Polyamides are invented. The discovery of synthetic fibres, which are as strong as steel and have a reliable friction coefficient, is announced. Two years later, Otto Bayer synthesizes the first polyurethanes.

Even now, new discoveries are being made in the plastic industry every year. Researchers are always on the lookout for extraordinary properties of these materials to discover new exciting applications.