The Evolution of Plastic Chairs and It’s Future in the Industry

Plastic chairs and furniture have many uses in today’s industry. But how did this came about? Discover more about the history and evolution of plastic chairs over the years, as well as the future insights into the development and manufacture of these furniture pieces.

The History of Plastic Chairs

For over a century, humans have found a way to utilize crude oil and revolutionized the production industry. This paved the road for the manufacturing of pliable, versatile, and easily shaped material – plastic. The world was introduced into a revolutionary material that was far more adaptable and reliable than wood, metal, and stone.

Today, plastic can be found everywhere. It is used in electronics, healthcare, architecture, infrastructures, transportation, packaging, and more. And since it is affordable, lightweight, safe, and strong material, it is widely used in manufacturing, particularly in the manufacture of furniture such as chairs and tables.

In the 1970s, for example, the Allibert Group and Grosfillex Group produced the first lightweight and stackable monobloc chairs, based on original design by Canadian designer Douglas Colborne Simson in the mid-1940s.

But before that, it was Joe Colombo who introduced the design of the world’s most common plastic chair – the Universal 4867 chair. Since there were no patents filed for it, the production quickly spread throughout the world. The chair was manufactured in countries like United States, Australia, Taiwan, Russia, Germany, France, Israel, Turkey, Morocco, Mexico, and of course, China.

The name Monobloc chair is derived from the word mono (which means “one”) and bloc (or “block), which means the object was forged in a single piece, rather than being assembled from multiple pieces. It is made by injecting, heating (up to 220˚ C or 428˚ F), and melting thermoplastic polypropylene granules into a mold. Today, there are multiple variants of designs and ideas derived from the original process, but the “stackable” feature remains as it is a proven way to store large number of plastic chairs.

The one-piece chair also remains popular since it is cheap, portable, lightweight, easy to clean, and waterproof. They don’t need expensive maintenance and they can last for years.

Prior to that, the first synthetic polymer was introduced into the market by John Weley Hyatt. Plastic is a type of polymer – to be specific, it is made of a long chain of polymers. Each polymer is made up of several smaller but uniformed molecules. The synthetic polymers are considerably longer than natural ones. The length and the patterns of the polymers make them identified as ‘plastic’. The production of synthetic polymers makes them extra useful since they are easier to manipulate and recreate. Thus, this makes it possible to manufacture plenty of plastic for the creation of chairs and other pieces of furniture. This explains how plastic furniture has expanded into the market over the last few decades or so.

Plastic is considered as a revolutionary material; this is primarily because of the fact that this was the first material that was not limited by nature. Modern human civilization has innovated and produced a new material that had more adaptability than other types of materials such as stone or wood.

Even though the term “plastic” chair has derived a negative connotation in the industry as being cheap and low in quality, it is actually far from the truth. The perception of plastic chair has greatly evolved over the years as new manufacturing technologies were introduced into the market. This has made it possible to process plastic materials to create furniture pieces that are flexible so they won’t get damaged or broken easily. At the same time, they are also durable enough to withstand impact or various weather conditions (especially for plastic chairs made for outdoor use).

Plastic was also once thought of as destructive to the environment. On the contrary, plastic contributed to saving the environment from more devastation. It helped reduce the number of trees that had to be cut down to produce wooden materials for making furniture. It also provided convenience to modern humans in terms of the basic items that are now available for everyday use that are made of inexpensive plastic.

While it is impossible to pinpoint exactly how much plastic exists in the world today, it is clear to see that it has dominated the furniture market in recent decades. Plastic furniture are made out of an injection molding process. This technology has made it possible to manufacture plastic chairs and furniture at a rapid rate – up to hundreds in minutes! This has enabled plastic chair suppliers to manufacture them at mass quantities to keep up with the growing demand for this product.

At Maka Furniture, we are proud to say that the plastic chairs and furniture that we offer are manufactured using the highest standards. Our manufacturing process is compliant with the world standards to ensure that you can get good value for your money.

Growing Plastic Furniture Market

As mentioned above, plastic chairs will continue to be in demand. It is also backed statistically by furniture reports to show the exact level of demand by figures.

The Plastic Chairs Market report shows that the demand for plastic chairs is expected to grow from 2020 to 2025. The report highlighted a few important things that show positive prospects for the industry.

An increase in demand for cheap, durable, and light weight plastic furniture in various sectors is driving end-users to switch to plastic furniture from the traditional wooden and metal furniture.

The research also shows that the innovation of engineered plastics and the popularity of recycled plastics will continue to shape the future of the plastic market. With that said, the development of high-performance materials for durable plastic furniture continued the momentum of the market. To capitalize on the rising sales opportunities, manufacturers are coming up with innovative materials and modern designs.

Subsequently, the number of small businesses joining the plastic furniture market has been growing in the last couple of years. Capitalizing on the growing demand for eco-friendly products, they brought with them, new design ideas using recycled plastics.

They’re capitalizing on the growing demand for eco-friendly products by launching new designs made with recycled plastics.