- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
Plastics: navigating the maze of dizzying acronyms
Plastics are all around us -- from food packaging and drinking bottles to the insulation in our homes.
They are mostly all derived from fossil fuels like oil and natural gas, but what are the key differences between each type of plastic?
Here is a brief guide to the most commonly used plastics and their acronyms, as classified by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
- Three main families -
Thermoplastics are the most common plastics, because they are so malleable when heated, and can be remelted.
Elastomers, meanwhile, can be stretched to a great extent and then regain their original form.
And thermosets are resins that become irreversibly hard when heated.
Within each family, an infinite number of polymers are mixed with a wide range of additives that are sometimes harmful to the environment or health.
These additives can change the colour of plastics, prevent ageing, make them flexible, increase impact resistance, or reduce flammability.
- PP -
Polypropylene, or PP, is the most widespread plastic in the world (16 percent), developed in the mid-1950s and used for automobile parts and food packaging as well as disposable trays.
- HDPE and LDPE -
High and low density polyethylenes each represent 12 percent of global plastic use, according to the OECD.
HDPE, invented in 1933 by British engineers, is used for toys, shampoo bottles, pipes, engine oil cans and a variety of household objects.
LDPE, developed later in the 1950s, is widely used to manufacture flexible products such as reusable bags and food packaging film.
- PVC -
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is mainly used in construction for window frames, floor covering, pipes or cable insulation. It represents 11 percent of global plastic.
- PS -
Polystyrene (PS), invented in 1931 by IG Farben, represents five percent of the world's plastic and is mainly used for food packaging.
In its unexpanded form, it is used for yoghurt packaging or in construction.
Expanded, it is used to package fish or for insulation in construction.
- PET -
Also representing five percent of plastic worldwide, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most widely used plastic for drink bottles in their transparent form (water, sodas) and sometimes opaque versions for products such as long-life milk.
- PUR -
Polyurethane (PUR), developed in 1937 by Otto Bayer, is used in insulation and mattresses and represents four percent of the world's plastic.
It is mainly used in refrigerator insulation, as padding foam in buildings, for adhesives, various coatings, shoe soles and in composite wood panels or surfboards.
- Other types -
In all, these represent 22 percent of all plastic and include ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene) used for tires, PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), PC (polycarbonate), PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) and PMMA, another name for plexiglass.
- Bio-based plastics -
This group is made from biomass such as corn, sugar cane, wheat or other residues, and not from petroleum products.
Their production generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than fossil-based plastics but while their volume is increasing, it isn't keeping pace with other types of plastic.
- Fibres -
Fibres made of different polymers are used in the textile industry and represent 13 percent of all plastics globally.
T.Batista--PC