The Plastic Age

Our very short human history has been categorised by the tools and buildings that our forbears have left behind.

The Stone Age represents “pre-historic” humanity. The stone tools crafted by humans have lived on through millennia, unlike the other materials that were also used during that time. Any wood or plant-based tools, weapons and buildings have decomposed long ago! The Stone Age ended about 5,000 years ago.

Why did the Stone Age end? It’s not because we stopped using stone. It was because there was a technological revolution in the works.

Enter the Bronze Age! Humans began to make tools out of metal and create new materials. Tools that were not possible to make out of stone.

By combining copper with tin(The Copper Age precedes the Bronze Age) humans created a metal that was superior to both copper and tin. The alloy was born, and with it, humanity’s ingenuity was thrust forward.

Bronze tools and weapons became widespread in ancient civilisations. The demise of the bronze age came with the invention of a superior alloy, another material still widely used today. Steel. Or Iron, as the age is known.

The Iron Age saw many of the bronze tools being replaced with iron tools. Humans developed greater abilities to work with metals and create alloys with ever-improving qualities.

Steel is still part of our every day. Chances are, your cutlery is steel. It’s also used in conjunction with other materials to build skyscrapers. It’s still the go-to material for many applications.

Since the Iron Age, humanity has not seen such advancements which have been heralded by a new material. We are living in the “Information Age”. But, information is nothing new though. How information is created and shared has changed. But the Information Age?

If we try to look at history through the lens of “what we leave behind”, such as “Stone”, “Bronze” and “Iron”, I think it’s pretty clear. Archaeologists of the future will be digging up and discovering a whole lot of stuff. but the most prevalent “New” material they will be finding, is plastic!

The Plastic Age is upon us. In the last 70 years, plastic products have replaced, or become a part of, tools we use every day. Plastics have enabled humans to create items that are far superior in many ways, to alternative materials.

Next week, we take a closer look at some of the amazing qualities of plastic. We will also take a look at some of the products that they have improved and enabled.