In most countries, plastics have a very poor image in the general public. 

Considered as cheap substitutes to more noble materials such as glass or paper, they are associated with pollution, safety issues and depletion of our reserves.

This is in sharp contrast with their astonishing growth, governed by the purchasing decisions of this same public.    

We shall see, with the help of various samples, how the diversity and adaptability of polymers enables the on-going very fast development of the whole petrochemical industry.

We shall also discuss the end-of-life issues and the mandatory improvements to be achieved in plastics waste recovery and valorization.

Robert Pelletier holds an engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique de Paris  and a MSc in Chemical Engineering from Wisconsin University.

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