section_path: Classifications/Commodity, Engineering and High-performance plastics/Commodity plastics
section_name: Commodity plastics
paragraph_text: Commodity plastics
  
  Around 70% of global production is concentrated in six major polymer types, the so-called commodity plastics. Unlike most other plastics these can often be identified by their resin identification code (RIC):
  
  Polyurethanes (PUR) and PP&A fibers are often also included as major commodity classes, although they usually lack RICs, as they are chemically quite diverse groups. These materials are inexpensive, versatile and easy to work with, making them the preferred choice for the mass production everyday objects. Their biggest single application is in packaging, with some 146 million tonnes being used this way in 2015, equivalent to 36% of global production. Due to their dominance; many of the properties and problems commonly associated with plastics, such as pollution stemming from their poor biodegradability, are ultimately attributable to commodity plastics.
  
  A huge number of plastics exist beyond the commodity plastics, with many having exceptional properties.