The first plastic garbage bag was invented by Harry Waslyk in 1950. 1950! Mr. Waslyk could not have predicted how much havoc his plastic child would wreck in a mere 62 years.[1] We’ve all seen the pictures of birds stomachs filled with plastic detritus and read about the Great Pacific Gyre, but I just read …
Synthetic polymers have experienced almost exponential growth since 1950, and today about 5% of world oil production is used for that purpose. In fact, we will need 25% or more of the current oil production for making polymers by the end of this century. Some synthetic polymers are used to make fibers, and they have …
I just tried to find out more about Project UDesign, a competition sponsored by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Cargill, Toray Industries and Century Furniture. The goal is to produce a chair that is both “sustainable and sellable.” It is targeted to be the next “ eco friendly wing chair” on the …
OEcotextiles 