THE EVOLUTION OF PLASTIC PACKAGING

1862 Parkesine

Alexander Parkes unveils first man-made plastic – Parkesine – made from cellulose at the Great International Exhibition in London. Needs to be heated in order to be moulded. Retains its shape when cooled

Mid 1800s to mid 1950s Shellac

Shellac, a natural bioadhesive polymer secreted from the female lac bug, Kerria lacca. Used to make frames, boxes, toilet articles, jewellery and dentures. Half of all shellac was used to make records in the 1930s

Early 1900s Cellophane

Dr. Jacques Edwin Brandenberger invents Cellophane, a clear packaging material that is waterproof

1907 Bakelite Leo Baekeland invents Bakelite

(polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride), the first plastic made from completely synthetic components – phenol and formaldehyde.

1930 Scotch cellulose tape

Richard Drew, from 3M, invents Scotch cellulose tape. Later renamed Cellophane Tape. It revolutionises the way people seal packages

1933

Saran wrap

Ralph Wiley, a lab employee at Dow Chemical, discovers polyvinylidene chloride – Saran wrap. Initially used to protect military equipment, it is later used for food packaging

1939

General Bakelite Company is sold to Union Carbide, the wholly owned subsidiary (since 2001) of Dow Chemical Company

1946

Tupperware – polyethylene

Earl Silas Tupper rolls out Tupperware – polyethylene food containers with an airtight seal to preserve freshness

1950

Plastic garbage bag

Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen invent the plastic (polyethylene) garbage bag. A Canadian invention, the bags were initially sold to a hospital but eventually became popular in homes

1965

Celloplast

Sten Gustaf Thulin, a Swedish engineer from Celloplast, developed a bag made completely of plastic, without handles made of other materials, that can be formed from a flat tube of plastic through folding, welding and die-cutting