British Plastics Federation

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The British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the main trade body for the plastics industry in the UK.

Contents

History

It was incorporated on 21 December 1933; the first Chairman was Charles Waghorne of Insulators Limited. [1] It is the longest-established plastics federation in the world.

It was the 1930s that was the decade in which many common plastics were discovered, some in the UK. On 27 March 1933 Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett (with Francis Arthur Freeth FRS and Sir Michael Perrin) discovered polyethylene (polythene) at ICI's Winnington Research Laboratory at Winnington, Cheshire; John Crawford, at the Explosives group of ICI at Ardeer, North Ayrshire near Stevenston, produced a commercial synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate), also known as Perspex with production beginning in 1934. Polythene is the world's most widespread polymer, and was first produced by ICI from 1939; many plastic bottles are made from LDPE. Polystyrene was invented in Germany in 1937. PTFE was discovered in America (New Jersey) in 1938 by Roy J. Plunkett when at DuPont.

PET beverage bottles were introduced from 1973. PEEK was developed by ICI in 1977. HDPE water pipes were introduced from 1980. In 1988, a number code for recycling plastics was introduced.

Structure

It is headquartered in central London. It houses the UK office of the PlasticsEurope Europe-wide organisation. [2]

Membership

Companies in the BPF include:

Function

It represents the UK plastics industry. It runs its Plastipedia, a resource on plastics. [3] In 2009 it launched the Plastics 2020 Challenge.

Plastipedia

Plastipedia is an online encyclopedia about plastics, starting from their birth in 1862 with the invention of Parkesine; it is hosted and maintained by the BPF. It has a comprehensive list of plastic manufacturing processes, and lists the 25 main processing technologies, including detailed animations. It also deals with energy management in the plastic industry and offers a guide to the main standards associated with the plastic industry.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyethylene</span> The most common thermoplastic polymer

Polyethylene or polythene is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging. As of 2017, over 100 million tonnes of polyethylene resins are being produced annually, accounting for 34% of the total plastics market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polystyrene</span> Polymer resin widely used in packaging

Polystyrene (PS) is a synthetic polymer made from monomers of the aromatic hydrocarbon styrene. Polystyrene can be solid or foamed. General-purpose polystyrene is clear, hard, and brittle. It is an inexpensive resin per unit weight. It is a poor barrier to oxygen and water vapour and has a relatively low melting point. Polystyrene is one of the most widely used plastics, the scale of its production being several million tonnes per year. Polystyrene can be naturally transparent, but can be colored with colorants. Uses include protective packaging, containers, lids, bottles, trays, tumblers, disposable cutlery, in the making of models, and as an alternative material for phonograph records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermoplastic</span> Plastic that softens with heat and hardens on cooling

A thermoplastic, or thermosoft plastic, is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or moldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyethylene terephthalate</span> Polymer

Polyethylene terephthalate, is the most common thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in fibres for clothing, containers for liquids and foods, and thermoforming for manufacturing, and in combination with glass fibre for engineering resins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PET bottle recycling</span> Recycling of bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate

Although PET is used in several applications,, as of 2022 only bottles are collected at a substantial scale. The main motivations have been either cost reduction or recycle content of retail goods. An increasing amount is recycled back into bottles, the rest goes into fibres, film, thermoformed packaging and strapping. After sorting, cleaning and grinding, 'bottle flake' is obtained, which is then processed by either:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic recycling</span> Processes which convert waste plastic into new items

Plastic recycling is the reprocessing of plastic waste into new products. When performed correctly, this can reduce dependence on landfill, conserve resources and protect the environment from plastic pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Although recycling rates are increasing, they lag behind those of other recoverable materials, such as aluminium, glass and paper. Since the beginning of plastic production in the 20th century, until 2015, the world has produced some 6.3 billion tonnes of plastic waste, only 9% of which has been recycled, and only ~1% has been recycled more than once. Additionally, 12% was incinerated and the remaining 79% disposed of to landfill or to the environment including the sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-density polyethylene</span> Chemical compound

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic made from the monomer ethylene. It was the first grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933 by Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) using a high pressure process via free radical polymerization. Its manufacture employs the same method today. The EPA estimates 5.7% of LDPE is recycled in the United States. Despite competition from more modern polymers, LDPE continues to be an important plastic grade. In 2013 the worldwide LDPE market reached a volume of about US$33 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polyester</span> Category of polymers, in which the monomers are joined together by ester links.

Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include naturally occurring chemicals, such as in plants and insects, as well as synthetics such as polybutyrate. Natural polyesters and a few synthetic ones are biodegradable, but most synthetic polyesters are not. Synthetic polyesters are used extensively in clothing.

Polyethylene or polythene film biodegrades naturally, albeit over a long period of time. Methods are available to make it more degradable under certain conditions of sunlight, moisture, oxygen, and composting and enhancement of biodegradation by reducing the hydrophobic polymer and increasing hydrophilic properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biodegradable plastic</span> Plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms

Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Biodegradable plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic bottle</span> Bottle constructed of plastic

A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed from high-density or low density plastic. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink. The size ranges from very small bottles to large carboys. Consumer blow molded containers often have integral handles or are shaped to facilitate grasping.

Polymer engineering is generally an engineering field that designs, analyses, and modifies polymer materials. Polymer engineering covers aspects of the petrochemical industry, polymerization, structure and characterization of polymers, properties of polymers, compounding and processing of polymers and description of major polymers, structure property relations and applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Photo-oxidation of polymers</span>

In polymer chemistry photo-oxidation is the degradation of a polymer surface due to the combined action of light and oxygen. It is the most significant factor in the weathering of plastics. Photo-oxidation causes the polymer chains to break, resulting in the material becoming increasingly brittle. This leads to mechanical failure and, at an advanced stage, the formation of microplastics. In textiles the process is called phototendering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic</span> Material of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids

Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptability, plus a wide range of other properties, such as being lightweight, durable, flexible, and inexpensive to produce, has led to its widespread use. Plastics typically are made through human industrial systems. Most modern plastics are derived from fossil fuel-based chemicals like natural gas or petroleum; however, recent industrial methods use variants made from renewable materials, such as corn or cotton derivatives.

The Plastics 2020 Challenge is a campaign to reduce the quantity of plastic waste sent to landfill. In 2009, the plastics industry, PlasticsEurope, the Packaging and Films Association (PAFA) and the British Plastics Federation (BPF), launched its Plastics 2020 Challenge campaign in the UK to challenge itself, consumers and government to step up resource efficiency and stop sending plastic materials to landfill. The Plastics 2020 Challenge was named runner-up "Campaign of the Year" for 2009 by Packaging News.

Biodegradable additives are additives that enhance the biodegradation of polymers by allowing microorganisms to utilize the carbon within the polymer chain as a source of energy. Biodegradable additives attract microorganisms to the polymer through quorum sensing after biofilm creation on the plastic product. Additives are generally in masterbatch formation that use carrier resins such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilton International</span> Human settlement in England

Wilton International is a multi-occupancy industrial site in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England. Originally a chemical plant, it has businesses in a variety of fields including energy generation, plastic recycling and process research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GreenMantra Technologies</span>

GreenMantra Technologies is a clean technology company that produces value-added synthetic waxes and specialty polymers from post-consumer and post-industrial recycled plastics. These products are used in various applications including roofing and paving, plastics processing, and plastics composites. The company is focused on "up-cycling" recycled plastics into specialty materials, creating a more circular economy for plastics where they are beneficially reused rather than landfilled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnington Laboratory</span> Chemical Research Centre in Winnington, Cheshire

The Winnington Laboratory was a former chemical laboratory at Winnington, near Northwich, in Cheshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic degradation by marine bacteria</span> Ability of bacteria to break down plastic polymers

Plastic degradation in marine bacteria describes when certain pelagic bacteria break down polymers and use them as a primary source of carbon for energy. Polymers such as polyethylene(PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are incredibly useful for their durability and relatively low cost of production, however it is their persistence and difficulty to be properly disposed of that is leading to pollution of the environment and disruption of natural processes. It is estimated that each year there are 9-14 million metric tons of plastic that are entering the ocean due to inefficient solutions for their disposal. The biochemical pathways that allow for certain microbes to break down these polymers into less harmful byproducts has been a topic of study to develop a suitable anti-pollutant.

References

  1. Companies House
  2. "PlasticsEurope". Archived from the original on 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  3. Plastipedia