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Plastics are by no means an invention of the industrial revolution. The material is far older. As early as 1531, the Augsburg Benedictine monk Wolfgang Seidel discovered that lean cheese could be processed into a material that was moldable when warm and extremely hard once cooled. He subjected the cheese to a lengthy process of heating and reduction, ultimately producing artificial horn or casein.

“Hard as bone and wonderfully translucent,” was how the inventor of plastic described his result. Casein was subsequently used to produce molds, tableware, and jewelry. By adding dyes, the objects could even be colored as desired. However, it took a long time before it became possible to artificially replicate macromolecular natural substances.

It all began in 1860 
It all began with Alexander Parkes, who had no formal education in chemistry or physics. Initially, he worked on processing natural rubber. With the discovery of vulcanization and the development of the first manufacturing machines, major advances were made in this field. His interest in other substances grew. Parkes turned his attention to cellulose nitrate obtained in Basel and discovered a new material that could be used in solid, moldable, and liquid states. It could be hard like ivory, opaque, flexible, waterproof, or colorable, and could be machined, stamped, or rolled like metal. This was presented at an international exhibition in London, where the first samples of this material were displayed. It is considered the first true plastic and became the origin of a large family of polymers, which today includes several hundred materials.
Did you know that the first plastic was developed as early as 1870 in the search for a substitute material for billiard balls, which had previously been made from ivory? The Hyatt brothers from New York participated in a competition aimed at finding such a material. Based on camphor and cellulose, they developed a material known as cellulose nitrate or celluloid. Shortly thereafter, in 1884, the first artificial fiber, cellulose acetate, was developed. However, it would still take some time before plastics achieved their breakthrough. Between 1930 and 1940, intensive research was conducted in German and American laboratories. Materials such as polyethylene and polyamide were developed – substances that are now commonplace. Processes were also developed to combine plastics with other materials such as paper, cardboard, or aluminum. With the development of plastics came the rise of synthetic fiber processing. Traditional craftsmanship in yarn and fiber production was replaced by industrial manufacturing processes. In Oyonnax, France, the first injection molding presses were already in operation by 1930.
In 1936, the first household goods and toys made of plastic entered the market. In 1960, one of the first plastics trade fairs was held in Oyonnax. By 1989, the term “plasturgy” for plastics processing had already been included in the French dictionary “Petit Larousse.” Today, plastics are an integral part of our everyday lives.

“History of selected plastic products” 

• 1823: MacIntosh produces the first rainwear made from rubber latex.
• 1839: Goodyear discovers the vulcanization of rubber using sulfur.
• 1846: Schönbein invents nitrocellulose by nitrating cellulose.
• 1869: Hyatt produces the first celluloid consumer goods.
• 1872: Baeyer synthesizes phenolic resin condensate on a laboratory scale.
• 1887: Discovery of the solubility of cellulose in [Cu(NH3)4](OH)2 solution.
• 1883: Swan produces artificial silk from nitrocellulose (using acetic acid).
• 1885: Spitteler and Krische discover semi-synthetic plastic (artificial horn).
• 1887: Goodwin manufactures film strips from celluloid.
• 1892: Fremery and Urban produce copper silk fibers.
• 1904: Germany begins production of artificial horn.
• 1909: Baekeland produces commercially viable phenol-formaldehyde resins.
• 1912: Klatte develops industrial processes for PVC production and secures a patent.
• 1922: Staudinger introduces the concept of macromolecules.
• 1927: Staudinger produces fibers from polymers.
• 1928: Röhm develops a transparent plastic later marketed as Plexiglas.
• 1930: Plastic fibers are drawn from a melt.
• 1933: A British research group polymerizes ethene into polyethylene under high pressure.
• 1934: IG Farben produces synthetic fibers from post-chlorinated PVC.
• 1935: Carothers produces the first spinnable polyamide fibers.
• 1937: Large-scale production of polyamide 6,6 (nylon) begins in the USA.
• 1943: Castan begins developing epoxy resins in Switzerland.
• 1946: Whinfield and Dickson produce the first usable polyesters from aromatic dicarboxylic acids.
• 1949: BASF begins production of polystyrene foam (Styropor).
• 1950: Epoxy resins are produced on an industrial scale as reactive adhesives.
• 1953: The medium-pressure process is discovered.
• 1953: Ziegler produces polyethylene at normal pressure using organoaluminum compounds.
• 1957: Isotactic polypropylene is produced using the Ziegler-Natta process.
• 1963: Production of high-temperature-resistant polymers begins in the USA.
• 1968: Carbon fibers reach production readiness.
• 1970: Plastics combined with mineral fibers are introduced into aircraft construction.
• 1975: Pilot programs for plastic recycling are developed.
• 1980: Impact-resistant polymer alloys are introduced into automotive manufacturing.

Sources: Plastics – Materials of Our Time, German Plastics Industry Association; Encarta Encyclopedia, Microsoft Corporation; www.sandretto.it/museo