Biofore-Magazine-2021

By Lara McCoy Photography Getty Images, maufacturers & UPM

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HI STORY OF THE . . .

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Can plastic be fantastic?

2020s

Biochemicals UPM’s innovative wood-based biochemicals and naphtha enable designers to move away from fossil-based raw materials for a variety of consumer applications. They can be used in creating sustainable packaging, PET bottles and even to replace rubber in certain products.

Once considered the material of the future, plastic has played an outsized role in modern culture. Now, innovations in biopolymers may ensure that the next generation of plastics are both flexible and sustainable.

Biocomposites The development of cellulose-fibre reinforced composites allowed for products to be designed with a larger percentage of materials derived from renewable sources .

Bakelite Invented by Leo

Plastic bag Sten Gustaf Thulin, an employee of Swedish firm Celloplast, invented the now ubiquitous one-piece polythene shopping bag.

LP record RCA Victor debuted the first long-playing vinyl record. Earlier records had been made from rubber.

Baekeland, it was first used as an electrical insulator, but could be shaped into almost anything.

1869

1926

1940s

1989

1907

1930

1965

2010s

Celluloid The first synthetic polymer is created in New York by John Wesley Hyatt, who was looking for a substitute for ivory for billiard balls.

Plastic tableware The London department store Harrod’s hosts the first display of dishes made by thermosetting moulding powder.

Nylon During World War II, nylon was critical for the war effort. It was used in parachutes, ropes, and body armour.

3D printing PLA was the first commercially viable biodegradable material and is often used in surgical procedures.