Historical Context
Why is Historical Context Important? | Well...
Plastic is a man-made source that is tied to the fossil fuel industry in its production with lasting and dangerous effects on the environment and potentially dangerous effects on humans in the future too. In order to understand how plastic and its overproduction and overconsumption came to be, a look into the history of plastic is required! It allows us to see the source of the issue and the root causes of why it became the issue it is today!
What has History Taught Me? | Surprisingly...
Plastic was created by accident due to another issue! When elephants almost went extinct due to increased hunting and it was prohibited to do so, billiard companies were in trouble. The companies needed a new material to replace ivory from the elephant tusks for their billiard balls, and so they set out to give a reward to someone who found that material.
Alexander Parkes was considered to make the first ever plastic, parkesine. He did not want the fame that came with creating and producing it however which left it open for people like John Wesley Hyatt to take up trying to improve the material!
Over the years, plastic continued to evolve with new materials being used to create it and try to improve it for more uses. Finally landing us on the polyethylene (plastic made from byproduct of crude oil or natural gas) plastic that we know today!
