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Plastic is the most common and probably the most familiar material to us in modern society. Almost everything our eyes laid on is made of plastic. For every minute, 1 million drinks in a plastic bottle are sold and 10 million plastic bags are used in the world. During COVID-19, especially, the range of plastic usage became vast and its role has been more crucial than ever. The plastic products such as a facial mask, a single-use bag, and gloves protect people from the virus, and medical devices and protective equipment were helping those who are on the front lines of the batter against the virus. Birth of Plastic and Its Rapid Growth Plastic which originally means “pliable and easily shaped” has now become a word to call all kinds of polymers collectively. The very initial form of plastic was invented in 1869 by John Wesley Hyatt and it was Leo Baekeland who succeeded in making 100% synthetic resin named ‘Bakelite’, a material without any nature-derived molecules. The synthetic p...

  While the world has been suffering from COVID-19, the year of 2020 has come to an end. Many experts agree that the abnormal climate and the spread of infectious diseases are highly related to the imbalance of the environment. Each country in the world has reviewed the environmental issues and established enforceable and rational policies. China, especially, announced the regulation on disposable plastic products in January this year including the details of how they would proceed the policy over the next 5 years. As the country is the biggest plastic manufacturer and importer, the news excited the environmental groups, surprised the other countries and alerted the relevant industries.   China’s Task to Regulate the Plastic The amount of plastic packaging used by 1.4 billion people in China is more than we could imagine. Furthermore, as the family scale gets smaller with the internet and delivery service developed, the consumption of the relevant products has been soa...

  The COVID-19 outbreak put the world in the fear of pandemics and there have been various threats to nature such as fires in the US, Australia, and Canada, heavy rains and floods in Asia, and thawing in the poles. Every country started to acknowledge that these abnormal climates have been resulted from environmental pollution and to suggest alternatives and specific measures. Among them, the UK is recognized as one of the countries working hardest for the environment. This year, the country took a step ahead by introducing a new plastic packaging tax. Shall we find out more details about the UK’s environmental policy?   The Leading Country of the Environmental Policy As the country to host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in 2021, the UK is where has implemented many advanced environmental policies already resulting in remarkable changes. For example, the country announced to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel cars by 2035 and to e...