Subtitle (96)
0:05- [Narrator] Plastics have become
0:06such an entrenched part of our lives
0:09but what exactly is plastic
and how was it made?
0:17Before plastic became so
ubiquitous, it underwent
0:20a transformation from being
a strictly natural product
0:24to being synthetically
and widely produced.
0:29Some of the earliest uses of plastic
0:31date as far back as 3,500 years ago
0:35when the Olmecs of Mexico used
naturally occurring plastics,
0:39sap from gum trees, to
create rubber balls.
0:43During the mid-19th and 20th centuries,
0:45synthetic plastics like
celluloid and Bakelite,
0:48made their debut and
were used for decades.
0:53On the molecular level,
plastics are made of polymers
0:57which are long flexible
chains of chemical compounds.
1:01This structure allows
plastics to be easily molded
1:04and shaped, especially,
under heat and pressure.
1:08Unlike the rubber used by the Olmecs,
1:10most of today's plastics are manmade
1:13and derived from fossil fuels.
1:15Crude oil and natural
gas are primary sources
1:19as they provide a cheap alternative
1:21to plastic made from plants.
1:25The first step in the
production of plastic
1:28is the extraction of
crude oil and natural gas
1:32From there, the fossil
fuels are sent to refineries
1:35where they are converted
into several products
1:38including the building blocks of plastic,
1:41ethane from crude oil and
propane from natural gas.
1:45Ethane and propane are then
sent to a cracker plant
1:48to be cracked or broken
down into smaller molecules.
1:53Ethane produces ethylene and
propane becomes propylene.
1:58Next, a catalyst is mixed in which links
2:01the molecules together and
forms polymers called resins.
2:05This structure allows
plastics to be easily molded
2:08and shaped, especially,
under heat and pressure.
2:11Polymerization converts ethylene
2:13into the resin, polyethylene,
2:15and propylene into polypropylene.
2:20These resins are then melted,
cooled down and chopped up
2:23into preproduction plastic
pellets known as nurdles.
2:28Nurdles are later
transported to manufacturers
2:31who use heat to mold the
nurdles into different types
2:37Many of those products
actually feature information
2:40about their manufacturing process.
2:42Numbers called resin identification
codes are often featured
2:46indicating which chemicals
were used to make the plastic.
2:52Because of plastics utility,
it's global production
2:55has doubled about every decade.
2:58The amount of plastics produced since 1950
3:01has measured at about 9.2 billion tons,
3:05the weight of nearly 1,600
Great Pyramids of Giza.
3:12Much of this plastic ends up as trash.
3:15Single-use plastic such
as straws, grocery bags
3:18and packaging products are,
particularly, detrimental.
3:22They often aren't recycled
and constitute about 40%
3:26of all plastic waste.
3:29They end up damaging natural
habitats, endangering wildlife
3:33and polluting communities
around the world.
3:39Moving forward, a great way we can counter
3:42this plastic pollution
is to reduce the amount
3:44of single-use plastics we use.
3:47By opting, instead, for
reusable alternatives
3:50in our day-to-day lives, each
person can make a huge impact
3:54in helping decrease plastic waste.
3:57For plastics that are already produced,
3:59other solutions are being explored.
4:03Scientists have discovered
that a few organisms
4:06are capable of breaking
down plastic material.
4:10Wax worms and mealworms, for
example, can devour plastics
4:14and turn them into compost.
4:17Another plastic-consuming
organism is a microbe
4:20which shrinks the time
plastic takes to degrade
4:22from hundreds of years to only a few days.
4:27Change is happening in the
production of plastics as well
4:30with some manufacturers turning back
4:33to plants for ingredients.
4:35Called biodegradable bioplastics,
4:38these materials are as
durable as synthetic plastics,
4:42come from renewable resources
4:44and can, therefore, biodegrade.
4:47Even the rubber tree, the
same plant used by the Olmecs,
4:51is, once again, being sourced for plastic.
4:54Today, the tree's latex is used to create
4:57a range of products such as all
natural latex rubber gloves,
5:01tires and mattresses.
5:05The rubber tree itself is now
part of a global initiative
5:09for the natural and sustainable
sourcing of plastic.
5:18Plastics can be found almost anywhere
5:21but by understanding its chemical makeup
5:23and our uses for it, we can
benefit from its versatility
5:28while also being mindful of
its impact on our planet.
5:34Take your pledge today to
reduce single-use plastics.
