This is an Apple Earbud, an Apple product introduced on September 12, 2012. The plastic casing is made out of polyvinyl chloride, a type of plastic.

PVC is a low cost material that is lightweight and as such, is easy to handle and install. Compared to other types of polymers, its manufacturing process is not limited to the use of crude oil or natural gas. PVC is also a durable material and is not affected by corrosion or other forms of degradation. It can easily be converted into different forms, making its use across various industries an evident advantage. Being a thermoplastic it can be recycled and converted into new products for different industries. It also presents chemical stability which is an important factor when PVC products are applied in environments with different types of chemicals, as it guarantees that it maintains its properties without undergoing significant changes when chemicals are added. Other advantages are its bio-compatibility, clarity and transparency, resistance to chemical stress cracking, low thermal conductivity, and that it requires little to no maintenance.

Many of the world's pipes are made from PVC and these are used in industrial and municipal applications. It is also used to make pipe fitting and pipe conduits. The material is also present in the electrical components such as: electrical insulation, wires and cable coatings.

In the healthcare industry it is used to make feeding tubes, blood bags, intravenous (IV) bags, parts of dialysis devices and many other items. This is only possible when phthalates are added to it. Phthalates are used as plasticizers to produce flexible grades of PVC (and other plastics), thus making it better suited for the aforementioned applications due to improved performance characteristics.

Common consumer products such as raincoats, plastic bags, toys, credit cards, hoses, doors, window frames and shower curtains are also made from PVC. This is not an exhaustive list of the many products that can be found around the household with PVC as its main constituent.

The carpet shown above is made out of polypropylene (PP). Polypropylene is another variant of plastic, a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. An addition polymer made from the monomer polypropylene, it is rugged and unusually resistant to many chemical solvents, bases and acids.

According to some reports, the global market for this plastic is 45.1 million tons, which equates to a consumer market use of about $65 billion. It is used in products such as plastic parts, carpeting, reusable products, paper, technology, laboratory equipment, and thermoplastic fiber reinforced composites.

The uses of polypropylene are numerous because of how versatile this product is. It has a high melting point compared to similarly weighted plastics. As a result, this product works very well for use in food containers where temperatures can reach high levels - such as microwaves and in dishwashers. With a melting point of 320 degrees F, it is easy to see why this application makes sense.

It is easy to customize, too. One of the benefits it offers to manufacturers is the ability to add dye to it. It can be colored in various ways without degrading the quality of the plastic. This is also one of the reasons it is commonly used to make up the fibers in carpeting. It also adds strength and durability to the carpeting. This type of carpeting can be found effective for use not only indoors but also outdoors, where damage from the sun and elements doesn't affect it as readily as other types of plastics.

Not only that, polypropylene does not absorb water like other plastics nor mold or otherwise deteriorate in the presence of bacteria, mold or other elements. Newer versions contain an elastic element to them. This gives them a rubber-like composition and opens the door for new uses. It is also unlikely to shatter and will take significant damage prior to breaking, though it is not as sturdy as other plastics such as polyethylene. It is lightweight, very flexible and resistant to fatigue. Therefore, most plastic living hinges, such as those on flip-top bottles, are made from this material.

Polyethylene (abbreviated PE) or polyethene is the most common plastic. The annual global production is around 80 million tonnes. Its primary use is in packaging (plastic bags, plastic films, containers including bottles etc.). Many kinds of polyethylene are known, with most having the chemical formula (C2H4)n. There are two common types of polyethylene: low density (LDPE) and high density (HDPE).

Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is a thermoplastic made from the monomer ethylene. Despite competition from more modern polymers, LDPE continues to be an important plastic grade. LDPE is defined by a density range of 0.910–0.940 g/cm3. It is not reactive at room temperatures, except by strong oxidizing agents, and some solvents that cause swelling. It can withstand temperatures of 80 °C continuously and 95 °C for a short time. Made in translucent or opaque variations, it is quite flexible and tough. Also, because its molecules are less tightly packed and less crystalline due to the side branches, its density is lower.

LDPE is widely used for manufacturing various containers, dispensing bottles, wash bottles, tubing, plastic bags for computer components, and various molded laboratory equipment. Its most common use is in plastic bags. Other applications of it include trays and general purpose containers, corrosion-resistant work surfaces, parts that need to be weldable and parts that require flexibility, soft and pliable parts such as snap-on lids, juice and milk cartons, packaging for computer hardware, such as hard disk drives, screen cards, and optical disc drives, playground slides and plastic wraps.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) or polyethylene high-density (PEHD) is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum. It is sometimes called "alkathene" or "polythene" when used for pipes. It has the following properties: stiffness, strength, toughness, resistance to chemicals and moisture, permeability to gas, ease of processing, and ease of forming.

HDPE is resistant to many different solvents and has a wide variety of applications:

Swimming pool installation, banners, bottle caps, chemical-resistant piping, coax cable inner insulator, food storage containers, fuel tanks for vehicles, corrosion protection for steel pipelines, electrical and plumbing boxes, folding chairs and tables, natural gas distribution pipe systems, fireworks, plastic bags, plastic bottles suitable both for recycling (such as milk jugs) or re-use, plastic surgery (skeletal and facial reconstruction), snowboard rails and boxes, storage sheds, telecom ducts, water pipes for domestic water supply and agricultural processes and wood plastic composites (utilizing recycled polymers)

The materials mentioned above are all made up of plastic. Plastic is a product of crude oil. Crude oil is distilled into fractions, which are smaller groups of the components that make up oil; some of these fractions are discarded for other purposes, while the ones that are used to make plastics are then further processed. The main fraction of oil that is used for plastic production is known as naphtha.

Crude oil is made up of many different components, with thousands of natural elements mixed together. Not all of these elements are useful for producing plastics. Naphtha and the other crude oil components used for plastic production are then further processed. One of these processing steps is known as polymerization, which uses ingredients like ethylene to convert the chemical structure of the oil fractions, creating long, repeating chains of molecules known as polymers. All plastics are considered to be polymers thanks to this chemical composition.