How Fracking is Driving the Plastics Industry

Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is the process of extracting natural gas from shale rock layers deep within the earth by injecting highly pressurized fluids–including combinations of highly toxic chemicals–into the shale to release the trapped gas. The process was exempted from the Safe Drinking Water Act in 2005, which means companies don’t even have to disclose the chemicals they use–chemicals which can contaminate ground water. Fracking has been linked to air and water pollution and even earthquakes.
But what does fracking have to do with plastic?
Most people still think that plastic is made from petroleum–oil. And much of it is. But in the United States, a large percentage of plastic is actually made from natural gas. Why? … Read the rest