Food Packaging Practice Test: Plastic Polymers – Packaging History — Flashcards

The history of plastic packaging begins in 1862, when Alexander Parkes presented the first plastic, Parkesine, at the Great International Exhibition in London. Parkesine was a bio-based material derived from cellulose. 
Cellophane was the first plastic to be used for packaging. Jacques E. Brandenburger, the inventor of cellophane, was inspired to create a liquid-repellent fabric after seeing wine soak into a tablecloth. 
 

Here are some other milestones in the history of plastic packaging:
1831: Styrene was first distilled from a balsam tree.
1965: The one-piece polyethylene shopping bag was patented by the Swedish company Celloplast.
World War II: The British military used plastic in secret.