— -- Here is one word about an up-and-coming innovation in plastics: cornfields. Bioplastics — most of which are now made from corn — are poised to grab a bigger share of the plastics market as ...

Worldwide consumption of plastics is ballooning. More than half of the plastics ever made were created after 2000. On the current trajectory, annual global production is expected to double by 2050.

Ms. Chaudhuri is a journalist in London and the author of the forthcoming book “Consumed: How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic.” In 1957, 92 percent of American children were potty-trained by 18 ...