Plastics hand in hand with consumers

 Fiftieth Anniversary Issue

Abstract (em inglês)

Plastics represented a revolutionary landmark during the twentieth century in many aspects of our everyday lives. They are seen as the result of technological, scientific, industrial and engineering developments, thus playing an increasingly important and sophisticated role in areas such as medicine, electronics, aeronautics, automobile industry, food, construction industry, among others. The strong relationship between plastics and the social, cultural, economic, aesthetic and industrial spheres has been very visible. In addition to their initial acceptance and popularity, these materials are generating a range of feelings and emotions all over the world, crossing different people, economies and geographies. After the Second World War, plastics were widely adopted by the society but in these days their image is associated with its growing environmental impact. This paper is part of an ongoing research project where we intend to analyse the role of plastics in Portuguese society between the 1950s and 1990s, at a time of great political, industrial and technological changes. We aim to explore how, and if, consumers’ habits and attitudes influenced industrial production, namely, creating novel materials or new products. The connections between consumerism, attitudes, and the limit of plastics in Portugal are going to be analysed as well.