The Defining Product of Our Synthetic Century
Plastic in the 1960's was viewed as the material of the future and a promise of technology to come. However, as decades progressed and the mass production of plastic products continued, consumers found themselves engulfed by it. Because plastic was so cheap to manufacture and could be molded into hundreds of thousands of shapes, it could be utilized in almost every facet of life. Plastic was used for packaging our food and products, sterilizing our medical tools, aiding in the development of military technology. It has become well integrated in almost every household across America and developed areas around the world.
As time goes on, plastic will continue to be the product of choice to accomplish
our commercial needs, as it best suits our consumer interests. The substance is
inexpensive, disposable, convenient, and can be produced on a mass scale.
In American, where the social norms dictate that packaging trumps
the quality of the product, style over substance, and surface over essence,
it's no wonder why plastic is everywhere.
However, in the wake of such convenience resides a very big problem: Plastic, as a substance,
is flexible, strong, lightweight and is meant to last forever. Plastic was
designed as a relatively indestructible substance that was never meant to biodegrade over time.
As a result, the world is left with a product that acts as a double-edged sword: Its capacity for
convenience is equally matched by its negative environmental impact.