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Here's how it started, and how it has developed...
1862 Alexander Parkes found that the addition of a plasticiser to cellulose nitrate enabled it to be worked on hot rollers, calendered and spread to produce Parkesine, the first plastic. The addition of Acetates to Cellulose made it less flammable. It was used most famously for ciné films.
1909 - Dr Baekeland develops the process for the manufacture of Phenolic Plastics known as Bakelite®. In the 1920's he joined with the inventor Sir James Swinburne to develop the Bakelite® business moulding a wide range of domestic items.
1929 - Early Plastics Moulders Trade Association was formed.
1933 - Polythene was invented by R.O Gibson of ICI.
1933 - The British Plastics Federation was formed as a reorganised version of an earlier moulders trade organisation, with aims to overcome prejudice and resistance to new materials and promote through BSI the standardisation of plastic products, and to inform and influence government.
1939-45 - During WWII the BPF developed a closer advisory role with government and helped to harness the industry to the war effort, helping members to navigate the vast network of controls and regulations.
1950 - After the war a flood of once secret technical documents were made available, the BPF published 3250. PVC uses were widened from electrical applications into records, plumbing, flooring and imitation leather.
1951 - The Festival of Britain - a special exhibition of plastics was displayed in the Hall of Production. The BPF continued as advisors to the Council for Industrial Design on the uses of plastics.
1960 - Origins of the supermarket revolution and growth in packaging lead to the formation of BPF Packaging Group in 1961.
1960 - First PVC pipe produced in the UK. This followed approximately 5 years of usage of PE pipes.
1961 - BPF Pipes Group established to promote growth within the sector relative to competing materials such as ductile iron and concrete.
1979 - Introduction of PET bottles and the first PVC-U double glazed windows were installed commercially.
1981- The BPF Windows Group was launched, having been spawned early in 1980 by the formation of a Fenestration Committee within the Profile Extruders Section of the BPF’s Fabricators Group.
1982 - The IT revolution was taking place. This was supported, in its infancy in the UK. A joint DTI/BPF Microprocessor Application Project, under Minister Kenneth Baker, promoted early examples of successful application in the sector.
1990 - BPF Automotive Task Force was set up to enable the orderly reuse and recycling of End-of-Life components.
1992 - BPF Electrical/Electronic Market Sector Group set up to ensure further growth of plastics in the sector.
1992 - Car production in the year increases by 6.5% to 1,291,880. The BPF Transport Market Sector Group is established to represent the issues surrounding and promote growth within the sector.
1996 - Valuplast is set up to encourage effective recovery of used plastics packaging in the UK.
1996 - Plastics consumption exceeds the 4.2 million tonne mark. Growth of Supply Chain Partnerships greatly focused by a joint DTI/BPF campaign, Partnership in Plastics (PIP)
1998 - Packaging (Producer Responsibility) Regulations (1998) introduced by EU influenced strongly by the weight of BPF lobbying.
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