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The Case of Plastics: Invention Interest Group

INTERVIEW
ROLES
GOALS
CASE STUDY
RESOURCES

Plastics and the work of polymer scientists have dramatically advanced fields like medicine, transportation, and communications. As one of those scientists, you know that plastics make life better in thousands of ways. Though you understand concerns about plastic waste, you worry government regulation will hamper development of new technologies.

Read the Original Regulation and your group’s Goals and Recommendations for the final regulation, and use them to prepare answers to the following questions, which the Regulators will ask during the Hearing:

  • Recycling in the United States is currently a function of municipal governments. Who should be responsible for plastic waste? Should the producers of plastics bear more of a burden than the consumers? What is the role of individual responsibility in addressing the matter of plastic waste?
  • Only a small percentage of plastic waste in the United States is recovered for recycling, meaning most plastic trash goes into landfills. What is the best way to reduce the amount of plastic entering the waste stream? Is curbside recycling the best option? Do we need to develop new methods of recycling and fuel recovery? Or is reducing plastic production and consumption the best way to reduce waste?
  • The goal of this hearing is to create a federal regulation that will effectively address concerns about plastics. What issues would governmental regulation of plastics most effectively address? What can be accomplished without governmental regulation that would improve the way we use and dispose of plastics? What new problems might result from these regulations?
  • What historical cases, examples, or evidence provide useful lessons about the successes or failures of addressing the impact and implications of our uses of plastics?
  • Do the problems caused by our use of plastics outweigh the benefits that they provide?

Interview

Invention Interest Group Roles

Accomplished Polymer Scientist

You are an accomplished scientist whose achievements in polymers made cell phones and other electronic devices possible.

Inventor of New Polymers

You are an inventor whose polymer developments have applications in medicine, space exploration, textiles, and electronics.

Polymer Scientist—Medical Applications

You are the cofounder of a successful research company that develops polymers for medical applications.

Polymer Scientist Interested in Innovation

You are a scientist who works in research and development for a chemical company to improve the use of polymers in new technologies.

Plastic Bridge Developer

You are a structural engineer who has designed and built plastic bridges for government clients and who wants to promote the wider adoption of plastic bridges.

Famous Inventor of Medical Equipment

You are an entrepreneur who has helped advance medical treatment through inventions and who credits her/his success to the availability and versatility of polymers.

Goals & Recommendations

Recommendations for the Regulation of Plastic Waste

Prepared in Advance of the Environmental Protection Agency Hearing

Main Concerns of the Invention Group:

  • Public concerns over waste and toxicity overshadow the many useful benefits of plastics. Plastics are lighter, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly than many plastic alternatives.
  • Government regulation that ignores the benefits of plastics may jeopardize innovation and deprive the public of many low-cost enhancements to quality of life.
  • Government regulation should recognize the value of plastics in such important fields as medicine, information technology, and defense by exempting these plastics from regulation.

Recommendations Based on Invention Group Concerns:

  • Any regulation in the areas of recovery and recycling of plastics should apply only to one-use, disposable plastics, such as plastic packaging.
  • Plastics designed for extended use, which cannot be described as one-use or packaging (e.g., plastic construction materials, polymer fibers in clothing, and electronic casings), should be fully exempt from regulation.
  • One-use, disposable plastics used for critical purposes, including medicine, defense, and communications, should be fully exempt from regulation. Limiting production of these products would have negative consequences on health, safety, and the economy.
  • Financial incentives will be made available to producers who choose to invest in the development of new recycling infrastructure or the improvement of existing recycling systems and to producers who voluntarily reduce plastic production.
  • Financial incentives will be made available to producers who invest in the development of biodegradable plastics.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for educating the public about regulatory exemptions for extended-use plastics and for those used for medical, defense, or communication purposes. These education programs will emphasize the value of plastics in our society and the environmental benefits they offer over alternatives.

Case Study: The Benefits of Plastic Innovation

Since the Age of Plastics began, the United States has been the unquestioned leader in polymer innovation. This prominence is due in part to the ingenuity of chemists in the United States and in part to the support polymer innovation has received from industry, the government, and academic institutions. As the United States faces economic challenges from rising industrial nations like China, it is important to consider that this supportive atmosphere has allowed the United States to remain on the cutting edge of new discoveries and developments.

The Age of Plastics began in America. In 1869 John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid, the first synthetic plastic, while searching for an artificial replacement for ivory. The growing popularity of billiards generated a demand for ivory that made it, and the elephants it came from, a scarce resource. Hyatt’s invention was inspired by the $10,000 reward promised for a workable ivory substitute. After several years of experimentation he found that by treating nitrated cellulose, which is derived from cotton, with camphor, he could produce a light, strong material that could be crafted to look and feel like ivory, tortoiseshell, linen, and other natural materials.

Hyatt’s invention wasn’t ideal for billiard balls; the balls made an explosive crack when they collided. But manufacturers churned out other celluloid products that imitated expensive ones, like tortoiseshell combs and linen shirt collars, creating a revolution in the production of goods. Until the creation of synthetic polymers people were confined by what nature provided. With celluloid Hyatt opened the door to the development of new, useful materials that loosened our dependence on nature.

Plastics not only freed humans from the material constraints imposed by the world but also weakened the social divisions between rich and poor. Celluloid brushes and combs mimicked more expensive versions. Working-class men could buy easy-to-clean celluloid shirt cuffs and collars that imitated linen, allowing them to blend in with wealthy businessmen. Inexpensive consumer goods made material wealth more widespread and blurred class distinctions.

Plastic became even more inexpensive and widely available with the invention of Bakelite in 1907. Leo Baekeland was already a wealthy chemist and inventor when he began searching for a synthetic replacement for shellac, a natural substance used for electrical insulation. His invention, the durable plastic he called Bakelite, was not only a superb insulator; it was also an excellent material for use in mass-produced consumer goods, even better than celluloid.

Bakelite was so successful that it inspired large chemical companies like DuPont and Dow to invest in the development of more plastics. While Hyatt and Baekeland mostly worked independently, the growth of American corporations provided polymer innovation with the resources and support of organized business. These new corporate research ventures worked to invent new polymers and then figure out how they could be used rather than seek materials with certain properties, as Hyatt and Baekeland had.

Some of these inventions were entirely serendipitous. In 1938 chemist Roy Plunkett was experimenting with new refrigerants when he found his canister coated with a slippery white substance. He recognized that the frictionless qualities of the new polymer could have many useful applications. Marketed as Teflon, his surprise discovery has been used in everything from medical equipment to nonstick pots and pans.

Scientific investigation proved critical for American victory in World War II. The war was won not only on battlefields but also in research laboratories. Americans searched for alternative materials that would substitute for and improve the performance of scarce natural resources like rubber, metal, wool, wood, and cotton. Advances in polymer science provided the needed materials, and plastics proved invaluable to the war effort. For example, nylon, invented in 1935, was used for parachutes, ropes, body armor, and more. Plexiglas provided a light, durable alternative to glass for aircraft windows, and nonstick Teflon was used in the atomic bomb.

When the war ended, the American economy shifted from producing tanks and planes to making consumer goods. New plastics inventions again proved valuable, improving Americans’ quality of life. For example, plastic food packaging improved food safety and changed the way people shopped. Perfected by William Hale Charch in 1927, moisture-proof cellophane protected food from spoiling and contamination. Cellophane ads reminded shoppers of sanitation issues: “Strange hands. Inquisitive hands. Dirty hands. Touching, feeling, examining things you buy in stores. Your sure protection against hands-across-the-counter is tough, clear, germ-proof Cellophane.” [1] Plastic wrapping became ubiquitous in grocery stores as consumers responded positively to cellophane packaging. Cellophane also allowed food to be transported longer distances and stay fresh longer, reducing food waste from spoilage.

Plastic inventions changed American society for the better. The low cost and versatility of plastics made consumer goods more widely accessible and allowed for critical developments in innumerable fields. Plastics improved safety, with inventions like padded foam dashboards and bicycle helmets. Fuel efficiency got a boost from lighter cars. The use of plastics in medical devices and procedures led to advancements in medicine and widespread improvements in human health. Plastics also made possible the technological revolution that created cell phones and other high-powered computers. American standards of living have improved dramatically in the last half century—in large part because of plastics.

Innovators continue to explore new ways to make and use plastics. Recently, plastics made from plant sources like corn and sugar have been introduced. Scientists are also investigating ways to make truly biodegradable plastics that address disposal concerns.

The possibilities for new developments in polymer science are endless. The incredible advances of the past century have been aided by government support, not by limits and regulations. To maintain the momentum of scientific advancement, innovation must be encouraged and supported.

[1] Quoted in Stephen Fenichel, Plastic: The Making of a Synthetic Century (New York: Harper Collins, 1996), p. 115

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