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Airfix, founded in the UK in 1939 by Hungarian émigré Nicolas Kove, began by manufacturing air-filled rubber toys. In 1947, the company switched production to plastic pocket combs, reputedly using the UK's first injection moulding machines 30 January 2012

In 1950, American Express set the template for what a credit card should look like. That it achieved rapid mass market penetration among people with memories of the Depression must owe a little to its resemblance to the dollar 5 January 2012

Child resistant packaging - specifically caps for bottles - comes in many forms. However, none has improved upon Clic-Loc, the 'push and twist' variety that was introduced by bottle manufacturer Owens Brockway in the US in 1971 9 December 2011

We slather it on hamburgers, hotdogs and chips, oblivious to its importance in our lives. Today, ketchup is found in 97% of kitchens and the Heinz ketchup bottle is one of the most recognisable icons of the 20th century 7 November 2011

A transparent car made of Plexiglas from Rohm & Haas sold for $308,000 (€214,000) to an unnamed buyer at an auction in Michigan in July 26 August 2011

As the popularity of home baking continues to rise, so has the use of silicone bakeware - cooking aides that are heatproof, flexible and anti-stick 25 July 2011

Although plastics housings have been a feature of vacuum flasks since the early twentieth century, for example Thermos’ Bakelite and urea formaldehyde versions, the one model that stands out in terms of design innovation is the Hot Fredo vacuum carafe, created by Philippe Starck for Alfi 26 May 2011

Equip your staff with a beautiful calculator and the office or store becomes a more eye-catching place, making work a more attractive prospect. That was at least part of the thinking of Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa when he came up with his Electronic Calculator M 3 May 2011

In 2008 a pair of plastics shoes hit the mainstream news headlines, primarily because they were created by feted UK architect Zaha Hadid, better known for her award-winning building designs rather than her footwear expertise 28 February 2011

Bodum is a European design company, specialising kitchen equipment, which came up with one of the most popular coffee pots of the 20th century – the Bistro French coffee press 27 January 2011

While often condemned as bad for the environment and unsustainable, plastics can be real lifesavers. That is certainly the case with the LifeStraw Family, which helps provide clean drinking water to thousands of people across the developing world 24 January 2011

• Plast 2012: special innovation supplement 2 February 2012
• Teklas uses PP in WIT production 1 February 2012
• IKV colloquium shows breakthroughs 2 February 2012
• Substances of high concern listed by ECHA 30 January 2012
• Poland’s Izo-Balex to set up PU panel plant 1 February 2012

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• West dominates growth in medical plastics 31 January 2012
• Megatech Industries expands Czech Republic plant 30 January 2012
• Substances of high concern listed by ECHA 30 January 2012
• A. Schulman buying France's Elian SAS 31 January 2012
• Marubeni may consider PET plant in Tatarstan 31 January 2012

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