SURROUNDED BY SYNTHETIC
Most of the items we use have some plastic in them. From the items on our bodies, to the ones around us...
EYES SPY
The term ‘glasses’ for spectacles or glares is hardly accurate today, because both the frame and the lens are now often made of plastic
MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
In the 1920s, Sheaffer introduced the first plastic pens, made of cellulose nitrate. Today plastic pens are even sold at traffic signals
RAIN GUARD
The original raincoats were made of rubber. Plastic made both raincoats and umbrellas lighter and more colourful
PACK IT IN
From the little packet in which we bring in our veggies, to office bags and suitcases, plastic and synthetic materials have replaced jute, cotton, leather and metal
GO GREEN
The environmental hazard from plastic is difficult to combat when even flowers and plants are made of plastic
DRESS IT UP!
The easy-to-maintain saris that defined sexy in the 1980s - Garden Vareli and Vimal - were made of synthetic polymers, as were polyester dresses and terylene and terycot shirts and bell-bottoms
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Plastic shoes were invented sometime in the 1940s, but came to India in the 1990s. Today, often even leather shoes have plastic soles
USE AND THROW
Discarded water and soda bottles and disposable cups of coffee and juice litter practically every part of the world today
LET THERE BE LIGHT
From the lamp shade in your bedroom to the carpet in your living room, how much of it is plastic?
WHEEL DEAL
In 1916, Rolls Royce began to use phenol formaldehyde in its car interiors. Today, plastic is widely used in the automobile industry
PLUG IT IN
From your mobile, laptop, headphones, to the coffee-maker in your kitchen and the iron, everything comes with a plastic cover... Makes it durable and cheaper
SWITCH IT ON
From electric wires to the switch boards everything is encased in plastic, and so shock proof
MUSICAL CHAIRS
In furniture, one of the first brands to use plastic in India was Neel Kamal. Lightweight, durable and cheap, plastic furniture quickly became popular
BUCKET LIST
No one really remembers the exact year iron and aluminium pails gave way to plastic ones