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A couple of decades after Leo Baekeland invented the first fully synthetic plastic - Bakelite - plastics were pouring out of labs around the world. There was polystyrene, often used for packaging; nylon, popularised by stockings; polyethylene, the stuff of plastic bags. As the Second World War stretched natural resources, production of plastics ramped up to fill the gap. And when the war ended, exciting new products like Tupperware hit the consumer market. These days, plastics are everywhere. Tim Harford looks at how our perception of the material has changed over the years. First broadcast on 50 Things That Made the Modern Economy, 9 October 2017.
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