The history and development of plastics in design
Plastics are a family of materials that can be moulded into required shapes by the application of heat and /or pressure. They can be natural, semi-synthetic or synthetic.
All plastics are polymers: materials made up of many smaller base units, different configurations making plastics with different properties and thus different applications.
Plastics have enabled the manufacture of products in much greater numbers than ever before fuelling our consumer society and, thus, creating significant responsibilities in relation to our environment.
Here we will explore design in plastics through:
- the invention of different plastics: plastics materials
- how plastics have changed design: plastics and design
- responsible design in plastics: plastics and sustainability
- the effect of plastics on people’s lives: plastics and users