Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic materials composed primarily of polymers. Their defining characteristic, plasticity, allows them to be molded, extruded, or pressed into a diverse …

Nov 19, 2025 · plastic, polymeric material that has the capability of being molded or shaped, usually by the application of heat and pressure.

Plastic is a word that originally meant “pliable and easily shaped.” It only recently became a name for a category of materials called polymers. The word polymer means “of many parts,” and polymers are …

When the plastic is soft it can be poured into a mould. Once the plastic cools, it hardens into a shape. Plastic is a material that can be formed into almost any shape.

Learn what you can do to reduce your own single-use plastics, and take your pledge. The world of plastic contains many confusing terms, as we discovered while reporting on and researching the...

Apr 25, 2023 · Affordable, durable and flexible, plastic pervades modern life, appearing in everything from packaging to clothes to beauty products. But it is thrown away on a massive scale: every year, …

Plastic is a versatile material used to make thousands of products people use every day. Learn about the types of plastic classification, history and unique chemistry that gives plastic its variety of uses …

May 15, 2025 · Plastic pollution poses a threat to the marine environment. It puts marine species at higher risk of ingesting plastic, suffocating, or becoming entangled in plastic pollution. Research …

On this page, you can find all of our data, visualizations, and writing on plastic pollution. The first synthetic plastic – Bakelite – was produced in 1907, marking the beginning of the global plastics …

Apr 21, 2023 · Plastic is a synthetic polymer made from various organic materials that can be molded into almost any shape. Some types of plastic are clear and transparent, like that used in disposable …