1929 / The Age of Plastics Begins

Plastics are the new material of the 20^th century. First research activities in polymer chemistry lead to success: styrene is synthesized for the first time at Ludwigshafen.

Over the following years at the Ludwigshafen and Oppau sites, which now employ 24,442 people, extensive work begins in a new field of chemistry and physics – polymers. Several of these compounds will be developed for the large-scale production of plastics: polymeric acrylic compounds (1929), polystyrene (1930), polyvinyl chloride (1931), polyisobutylene (1931), polyvinyl ether (1934), and polyethylene (1937).

Based on these early research and development activities, BASF plastics contribute to shape the plastics boom of the 1960s – and continue to be a success story until today.