The introduction of the plastic in the car industry, in the '70s, was due to the oil crises and the necessity of building lighter vehicles in order to reduce fuel consumption, keeping the product final quality. Nowadays, however, besides the economic question, plastic started performing an indispensable role in the car composition due to other reasons. Plastic allows modern designs, weight reduction, higher security, cots and time of production reductions, besides being immune to oxidation. The European car industry, for instance, uses around 2 million tons of plastic a year. A study published by the European Plastic Manufacturers Association, in the British Plastic magazine, shows the average plastic application per vehicle reaches 110kg. In average, each 100kg of plastic, according to the study, replaces 200kg to 300kg of other materials, reducing the annual fuel consumption in 12million tons and the emission of CO2 in 30 million tons. In Brazil, nowadays, each vehicle uses between 60kg to 90kg of plastic; being 60% in internal equipment, 15% on the body outside, 9% in the engine, 8% in the electrical system and 5% in the frame. At the end of the '80s, the average application on the Brazilian cars was only 30kg. The plastic application in the car industry increased in the same rate as the manufacturers and client'¥s satisfaction increased with the results, and it has been conquering new markets. Fuel tanks and engines of some vehicles have already been made by plastic. Among the plastic application advantages are the cost and weight reductions, of around 100kg per medium port vehicle.

A large part of the electric appliances and electronics, which have an important part in the day to day lives of the people, are made by plastic material. From the blender to the flat iron, from the refrigerator to the washing machine, all use this raw material in their structure. Just like the car industry, the electric-electronic sector is very promising sector for plastic application, due to the need of fast production always at a lower cost. Plastic allowed the popularization of the products, which became accessible to the consumers. The plastic conquest of new markets also grows in the electric-electronic sector. Good examples are some lines of washing machines that started to use plastic cabinets eliminating some stages of the production, such as welding, brazing, chemical treatment, painting, consequently saving time and physical space. The weight of a washing machine is in average 18kg, being 60% plastic, while the ones that use steel plates weigh in average 26kg. The cost reduction of production, and cheaper raw material assure an even more accessible price to the consumer. Besides cabinets and parts, plastic, just like in the car industry, has been conquering new applications in the electric-electronic sector. Researches in Cambridge University, in England, recently developed a new revolutionary technology, luminous visualization, that takes place of the of the current glass screen of the computers, being lighter, extra thin, flexile and without reflections, made by plastic. This new technology will be able to be applied in computers, televisions, and it is already being used in car radios, electronic agendas and cellular phones.

The computer industry certainly is one that always requires more sophisticated technology. The necessity to constantly adapt to new advances of their own machines, compels the manufacturers of products directed to the computer industry to a fast search of differentials, in order to gain a bigger share of the market. Among the companies, there is an understanding that plastic application became vital for the final performance of their products.

The application of plastic materials in the medical area goes further than disposable syringes. According to the Medical Technology Special workshop, in October, in the K'98, in Germany, 2.8 million tons of plastic was used in 1997 medical products, 770 thousand was used in Europe alone. Plastic is the most applied material in the manufacturing of products of the medical area, with 54% participation. The current level of development in this area allows even, in urgent cases, the temporary installation of human organs, as lungs and heart, made by plastic. " It is practically impossible to imagine the development of Medicine without the use of plastic", declared Dr. Adib Jatene, Incor cardiologist and former Health Minister. The main advantage of the plastic application is the easiness to mould it, its temperature chocks resistance, weight reduction of the final product in comparison with other materials, besides the fact that it is inert. This last characteristic, according to him, allows the plastic to be considered one of the main items responsible for the elimination of transmission of diseases and infections transmission in hospitals. " Even though, the sterilization processes are efficient, the use of disposable plastic materials is still the safest method" adds Jatene. Nowadays, an infinity of products, such as tracheal tubes, catheter, collectors materials, flasks, oxigenators, blood bags among others, are produced by plastic due to the great versatility that the material shows. The blood bags, which were made by glass, are 100% made by plastic nowadays. Plastic can still be applied in prostheses that replaces bones and joints. Because it is inert, it does not show any rejection problems, and because it is chock resistant is one of the most indicated materials for this purpose.

From the durability needed for the hydraulic and electric installations to the construction final touches care, plastic appears as a fundamental element in this sector of civil construction. Although sometimes concealed, as in the tubes, hidden in the walls, through which the electrical wires pass through, and the roof tiles, that imitate ceramic, plastic has been increasing its participation in this sector. In the windows and plastic profiles segment, for instance, is one area that should grow the most, during the coming years. Plastic has a share of 70% of this segment in Great Britain, and 50% in France. There is estimation that civil construction move around R$ 130 billions a year in the country, 10% of this total comes from plastic products. This tendency was obvious during the II Plastic Systems Technology in Civil Construction Meeting, promoted by the Escola Politécnica da USP, in November 1997, in São Paulo. During that event, 14 companies showed products such as water tanks, doors, widows, flooring, roof tiles, bathtubs, furniture besides tubes and connections, demonstrating that, nowadays, it is already possible to build a house using only plastic materials. A good example can be seen at the USP Campus, where a house all lined with plastic, inside and outside, calls attention from visitors. It is the Sewerage Techniques Center made 100% by plastic. It is the result of a partnership between Escola Politécnica da USP and the Development and Documents of the Plastic Industry in the Civil Construction Center. The "Plastidão", as it is known among students and teachers from Poli, was built with the objective of helping researches and the Sewerage Systems 100% Plastic daring project development, that allows conventional systems to be replaced with a fast installation, and will allow constant maintenance. This system is already been used by of basic sewerage companies in Bahia, Paraná and Brasília.

The 10th world market and the 5th fleet of the word, the Brazilian aviation market, has an investment in the order of US $11,6 billion programmed for the next 3 years, represents a promising market for the plastic industry. In an aircraft, plastic application is evident throughout its structure, since the wall coverings to the seats. But, the use of plastic in aviation is larger than this. Plastic industries from all over are competing for this market that just this year will move more than US$3 billions. One of the novelties is the plastic application on the outside walls, replacing the aircraft fuselage painting, thus reducing maintenance needs. Besides this, connectors and window tint plastic, that avoid the breakage into small pieces, reduce outside noise and filter the entrance of ultraviolet rays, are made of plastic. Recently, NASA, American Space Agency, made some tests, in California, with an aircraft named Centurion, which will work with solar energy. Among the materials used in its sophisticated structure is the plastic.

In the packaging sector, that moves US$10,9 billions each year, who dictates the rules is the consumer. This was the conclusion of the 8th Brazilian Packaging Congress, promoted by ABRE, in September 23 to 24, 1998, in São Paulo. According to researches from Procon consumers are giving more importance to the packaging, relating its quality with the quality of the product. In front of this new reality, the plastic sector can and should commemorate. Of the total packaging in Brazil, in 1997, around 25% were made by plastic. This participation of plastic in these sector answers for 34,6% of the total resins transformed in the country. In Eastern Europe, the plastic answers for more than 50% of the packaging sector. In 1996, around 10 million tons of plastic, referring to 42% of the total consumed in the continent, was destined to this segment. According to the European Plastic Association, this material reduced more than 80% of the weight of the packaging in relation to 20 years ago. The association still declares that 90% of the packaging weighed less 10gr. Just PET destined to this segment almost 90% of the total 249 tons fabricated. Until the year 2000, the soft drink industries should reach the 11 billion litters production, 63% of this total will go to PET bottles. In the USA, the big beer makers are already adopting plastic in their packaging.

Plastic at the service of agriculture, birds raising, fish farms, shrimps farms and water cultures Plastic is present at ground irrigation systems, at covers of silos for grins keeping and at ventilation tubes in the grain warehouses, among other applications. Regions like the south of California and the deserts of Israel, characterized by dried ground, are, nowadays, among the most fertile and productive lands of the world, thanks to the water supply from plastic tubes and ducts. In Spain, more precisely in the Almeria region, plastic-culture has transformed a region drier than the Sahara desert in one of the areas that most produces fruits and vegetables in Europe, with 15 thousand hectares, where everything is cultivated all year long. This area has the greatest concentration of applied plastic in the world.