The Inventor of Plastic and Its Century Evolution

In the long history of human civilization, few materials have so profoundly reshaped our way of life while also prompting deep ecological reflection as plastic. Born in 19th-century laboratories, this synthetic material has, in just 150 years, evolved from "Celluloid"—a substitute for ivory—into everyday items that permeate every corner of modern life, ultimately becoming a serious challenge to our planet's ecosystems. So, who first invented plastic? Let’s trace the timeline and meet the key figures essential to plastic's development.

Part I: The Accidental Dawn of a Synthetic Era (19th Century – Early 20th Century)

1. Celluloid: The First Plastic, Born from an Ivory Crisis

In the mid-19th century, the popularity of billiards caused a surge in demand for ivory, leading to the slaughter of millions of elephants annually. In 1869, American printer John Wesley Hyatt, in his New York laboratory, mixed nitrocellulose with camphor under heat and accidentally created a hard, transparent material—Celluloid. This material could mimic the texture of ivory and be molded into various shapes. It was quickly adopted for making billiard balls, dentures, and shirt collars. In 1872, the Hyatt brothers established the world's first plastic factory. Celluloid toys and combs entered households worldwide and even served as the base for early photographic film—the Lumière brothers' 1895 movie projector relied on Celluloid film to display moving images.

2. Bakelite: The First Fully Synthetic Plastic

In the early 20th century, Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland, working in his New York laboratory, heated phenol and formaldehyde under pressure. In 1907, he successfully synthesized Bakelite (phenolic resin). This entirely synthetic material was heat-resistant and an excellent electrical insulator, swiftly capturing the market for electrical components—radio casings in the 1910s, telephone bodies in the 1920s, and automobile distributor caps in the 1930s all relied on this "versatile plastic." Baekeland thus earned the title "Father of Plastics." His invention marked humanity's shift from modifying natural materials to fully creating new ones.

Part II: The Golden Age Accelerated by War (1930s – 1970s)

1. Polyethylene (PE): From Radar Insulation to a Shopping Bag Revolution

In 1933, an accident occurred at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in England: a leak in a high-pressure reaction vessel caused ethylene gas to polymerize, forming a white, waxy substance—Polyethylene. During World War II, this waterproof, insulating material became crucial for radar cables, aiding the Allies with precise communications during the Normandy landings. In the 1950s, polyethylene blow-molding technology matured. In 1965, a Swedish company introduced the first polyethylene shopping bag. Costing only one-tenth the price of paper bags, it rapidly replaced traditional packaging. By 1970, global annual production of plastic bags exceeded 500,000 tons, making "lightweight" plastic's first global label.

2. Nylon: From a Hosiery Revolution to a Military Marvel

In 1938, Wallace Carothers' team at DuPont synthesized Nylon 66 in Wilmington. This synthetic fiber was three times stronger than natural silk. On May 15, 1940, Macy's in New York sold nylon stockings, causing a sensational "Nylon Riot" with 4 million pairs sold on the first day. During WWII, nylon became a strategic material. In 1943, 80% of US nylon production went into parachutes for the Allies. A single nylon parachute could carry 120kg and, when folded, occupied only one-third the volume of a canvas parachute. This "technical fabric" revolutionized both the textile industry and military equipment.

3. The Rise of Petrochemicals: The "Industrial Leap" of Plastics

In the 1950s, global oil production surpassed 1 billion tons annually, providing ample raw materials for the plastics industry. The invention of the Ziegler-Natta catalyst in 1953 enabled the industrial production of Polypropylene (PP) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), which became core materials for food packaging and automotive parts. In the 1960s, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes began replacing cast iron, saving the US 1.2 million tons of steel annually. The Polyester (PET) beverage bottle debuted in 1973; a 750ml PET bottle weighed only one-tenth of a glass bottle, sparking a lightweight revolution in beverage packaging. By 1975, global plastic production reached 50 million tons—equivalent to 12kg of plastic consumed per person on Earth each year.

Part III: Environmental Warnings and Technological Reflection (1980s – Present)

1. The Non-Biodegradable Crisis: From Revolution to Planetary Pollution

Behind plastic's brilliance lay a critical flaw: a natural degradation cycle of up to 500 years. In 1984, oceanographers first discovered microplastics in the Pacific. A 2004 Science journal article reported 24,000 plastic pieces per square kilometer floating in the ocean globally. A 2 018 WWF report indicated that humans ingest about 5 grams of microplastics annually—the weight of a credit card. A stark example occurred in 2019: a pregnant leatherback turtle washed up on a Hawaiian beach, dead from intestinal blockage by a plastic bag. Examination revealed 88 plastic fragments in its stomach.

2. Global Plastic Bans and Technological Breakthroughs

Facing the crisis, nations launched "plastic ban storms." In 2008, China's plastic bag restriction cut supermarket bag usage by 60%. In 2019, the EU passed the Single-Use Plastics Directive, banning items like plastic straws and cutlery from 2021. In 2025, Kenya implemented one of the world's strictest bans, with penalties of up to 4 years imprisonment or a $40,000 fine for using plastic bags.

Technological innovation accelerated simultaneously:

Bio-based Plastics: Companies like NatureWorks produce Polylactic Acid (PLA) from corn starch. By 2024, Apple's iPhone packaging was made 100% from PLA.

Chemical Recycling: Firms like Circular Energy in the Netherlands pyrolyze plastic waste into syngas with a 95% conversion rate, equivalent to saving 500,000 tons of oil annually.

3. The Circular Economy: From "Take-Make-Dispose" to "Closed-Loop Recycling"

In 2025, the world's first closed-loop plastic recycling facility opened in Singapore. Using AI sorting systems to identify 200 plastic types, it achieves a 92% recovery rate. Even more promising is microbial degradation technology. In 2024, Japanese scientists discovered a "PET-degrading enzyme" that can break down plastic bottles into their monomers within 30 days. Large-scale application could completely rewrite the history of plastic recycling.

Part IV: Future Outlook: Plastic's Path to Redemption

Looking back from 2025, plastic's century-long history mirrors human civilization itself: the first 50 years were a celebration of conquering nature; the last 50 have been a painful awakening to ecological limits. While we enjoy the conveniences plastics bring—lightweight shopping bags, durable pipes, portable bottles—we must also confront overflowing landfills and microplastic-filled oceans.

The true "evolution" of plastic lies in transforming from a symbol of the industrial revolution into a cornerstone of sustainable development. As 2025 Nobel Chemistry laureate Carolyn Bertozzi stated, "We should not curse plastic, but redesign it—to make the material's life cycle compatible with Earth's ecosystems." The future of plastic depends not on its abandonment, but on smarter innovation and responsible use, closing the loop between human ingenuity and planetary health.