Mapco Salutes Plastic Innovation
In 1862 The first manmade plastic was unveiled by Alexander Parkes at the Great International Exhibition in London. This material – dubbed Parkesine – was derived from cellulose. Yes – the first plastic was bio-based! It could be molded when heated and retained its shape when cooled.
Early 1900′s - Swiss textile engineer Dr. Jacques Edwin Brandenberger created Cellophane, a clear layer of packaging for any product – the first fully flexible, water impermeable wrap. Brandenberger originally aimed to apply a clear flexible film to cloth to make it stain-resistant.
1933 - Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical lab worker, accidentally discovered another plastic: polyvinylidene chloride which became known as SaranTM. The plastic was first used to protect military equipment and later for food packaging. Saran would cling to almost any material – bowls, dishes, pots and even itself – and became a terrific tool for maintaining the freshness of food at home.
1950 - The familiar black or green plastic garbage bag (made from polyethylene) was invented by Canadians Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen. The new garbage bags, intended for commercial use, were first sold to the Winnipeg General Hospital. They later became popular for home use.
1954 - Robert W. Vergobbi patented zipper storage bags. Minigrip licensed them, intending to use them as pencil bags. But it became apparent that the bags could do much more, and Ziploc® bags were introduced in 1968 as food storage bags.The first baggies and sandwich bags on a roll were introduced
1988 - The Society of the Plastics Industry introduced voluntary resin identification coding system that provides a consistent system for identifying plastics resins used in packaging containers.
1996 - Salad-in-a-bag packaging (metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins) was introduced, helping to reduce food waste and making it easier to purchase fresh produce.
2000 - Polylactic acid (PLA) made from corn is introduced to the packaging market, bringing back bio-based plastic to packaging
2008 - Plastic bottles achieve a 27% recycling rate, reclaiming 2.4 billion pounds of plastic. (More pounds of plastic bottles have been recycled every year since 1990!) And polyethylene plastic bags and wraps achieve a 13% recycling rate, reclaiming 832 million pounds of plastic. (The recycling rate for polyethylene plastic bags and wraps has doubled since 2005.)
2010 - MetallyteTM films were introduced to help keep sharp contents (coffee beans, grains, noodles, croutons) fresher by reducing packaging tears. The new films are also lighter than foil-based designs.
Today - Through plastic evolution, Mapco makes life for us all easier. Whether it be packaging your bread or tossing out your garbage Mapco has got you covered.
Early 1900′s - Swiss textile engineer Dr. Jacques Edwin Brandenberger created Cellophane, a clear layer of packaging for any product – the first fully flexible, water impermeable wrap. Brandenberger originally aimed to apply a clear flexible film to cloth to make it stain-resistant.
1933 - Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical lab worker, accidentally discovered another plastic: polyvinylidene chloride which became known as SaranTM. The plastic was first used to protect military equipment and later for food packaging. Saran would cling to almost any material – bowls, dishes, pots and even itself – and became a terrific tool for maintaining the freshness of food at home.
1950 - The familiar black or green plastic garbage bag (made from polyethylene) was invented by Canadians Harry Wasylyk and Larry Hansen. The new garbage bags, intended for commercial use, were first sold to the Winnipeg General Hospital. They later became popular for home use.
1954 - Robert W. Vergobbi patented zipper storage bags. Minigrip licensed them, intending to use them as pencil bags. But it became apparent that the bags could do much more, and Ziploc® bags were introduced in 1968 as food storage bags.The first baggies and sandwich bags on a roll were introduced
1988 - The Society of the Plastics Industry introduced voluntary resin identification coding system that provides a consistent system for identifying plastics resins used in packaging containers.
1996 - Salad-in-a-bag packaging (metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins) was introduced, helping to reduce food waste and making it easier to purchase fresh produce.
2000 - Polylactic acid (PLA) made from corn is introduced to the packaging market, bringing back bio-based plastic to packaging
2008 - Plastic bottles achieve a 27% recycling rate, reclaiming 2.4 billion pounds of plastic. (More pounds of plastic bottles have been recycled every year since 1990!) And polyethylene plastic bags and wraps achieve a 13% recycling rate, reclaiming 832 million pounds of plastic. (The recycling rate for polyethylene plastic bags and wraps has doubled since 2005.)
2010 - MetallyteTM films were introduced to help keep sharp contents (coffee beans, grains, noodles, croutons) fresher by reducing packaging tears. The new films are also lighter than foil-based designs.
Today - Through plastic evolution, Mapco makes life for us all easier. Whether it be packaging your bread or tossing out your garbage Mapco has got you covered.
