Plastic became popular primarily by offering practical alternatives to natural materials that were becoming scarce or expensive, especially during times of global conflict.
The Rise of Plastics
The journey of plastics into widespread use is closely tied to their emergence in the 20th century. Initially developed through scientific innovation, these new materials offered properties that natural substances couldn't always match, such as durability, flexibility, and mouldability.
A key factor driving the popularity of plastics was their ability to serve as substitutes. As the 20th century witnessed the emergence of plastics in industry, new varieties were continuously developed. These new types of plastics began to multiply, supplanting the applications of natural materials that had become scarce, costly, or unattainable, especially during the world wars.
During periods like the world wars, traditional materials such as metal, rubber, wood, and natural fibers were often diverted for military use or became difficult to obtain and expensive. Plastics offered a readily available, often cheaper, and versatile alternative for manufacturing countless goods, from packaging and consumer products to components for machinery and vehicles.
Key reasons for plastic's growing popularity included:
- Availability: They could often be produced synthetically when natural materials were scarce.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Manufacturing plastics could be less expensive than harvesting and processing some natural resources.
- Versatility: Different types of plastics could be created with tailored properties (lightweight, strong, flexible, resistant to corrosion, etc.), expanding their potential uses.
- Practicality: They offered solutions for needs that natural materials couldn't efficiently meet under certain circumstances, particularly under wartime pressures.
This shift from reliance on often limited or strategically important natural resources to the mass production of synthetic polymers paved the way for plastics to become ubiquitous in modern life.
