Daddy, where does plastic come from?

daddy-where-does-plastic-come-from<p>At some point in every parent&#8217;s life this question is going to come up. You can either hem and hah and make something up, or you can tell them the truth. And the truth is that plastics &#8220;consist of building blocks called hydrocarbons, typically derived from petroleum or natural gas. These monomers (small molecules) are bonded into chains called polymers or plastic resins. Different combinations of monomers yield resins with special properties and characteristics.&#8221; There &#8230; that wasn&#8217;t so hard now was it?</p> <p>Here&#8217;s what the Society of Plastics Industry has to say about plastics.<br /> <b> </b><br /> Why are plastics used in packaging?<br /> Packaging serves many purposes, but one of its primary functions is to help protect the quality of goods &#8211; ranging from sensitive electronics to fresh and prepared foods &#8211; during shipping, handling and merchandising. Plastics are a versatile family of materials that are suitable for a wide range of packaging applications. In many cases, plastics offer the best protection while using minimal resources and creating less waste than alternative materials. In fact, 400 percent more material by weight would be needed to make packaging if there were no plastics, while the volume of packaging would more than double.</p> <p>Why are plastics used in durable goods?<br /> Manufactured items with a useful life of more than three years &#8211; cars, appliances, computers, etc. &#8211; are called durable goods. Manufacturers of durable goods choose plastics for the following reasons:</p> <ol> <li>The automotive industry chooses plastic for its durability, corrosion resistance, ease of coloring and finishing, resiliency, energy efficiency and light weight. Light weight, for instance, translates into lowered handling and transportation costs all down the line. Where a plastic film (as in stretch wrap) can replace a heavy shipping crate or carton, the weight savings can be an order of magnitude or more.</li> <li>Major appliance manufacturers use plastics because of their ease of fabrication and outstanding thermal insulation characteristics, that significantly reduce energy consumption.</li> <li>The building and construction industry uses vinyl siding for homes because of its appearance, durability, ease of installation and energy efficiency. Plastics can reduce energy consumption for the auto, appliance, and building and construction industries, providing a substantial savings in production costs.</li> </ol> <p>Why do we need different kinds of plastics?<br /> A: Copper, silver and aluminum are all metals, yet each has unique properties. You wouldn&#8217;t make a car out of silver or a beer can out of copper because the properties of these metals are not chemically or physically able to create the most effective final product. Likewise, while plastics are all related, each resin has attributes that make it best suited to a particular application. Plastics make this possible because as a material family they are so versatile.</p> <p>Six resins account for nearly all of the plastics used in packaging: PET, HDPE, LDPE, PVC, PP, and PS.</p> <p>What about CFCs?<br /> Most (nearly 70 percent) of polystyrene foam products never were made with chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). In the late 1980s, those few polystyrene manufacturers that used them announced the voluntary phaseout of CFCs.</p> <p>Source<br /> The Society of the Plastics Industry<br /> <a href=http://www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics/content.cfm?ItemNumber=791&amp;navItemNumber=1124>www.plasticsindustry.org/AboutPlastics/content.cfm?ItemNumber=791&amp;navItemNumber=1124</a><br /> © Copyright 2003 The Society of the Plastics Industry</p>