Invention of Bubble Wrap
Invention of Bubble Wrap came in 1957, when Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes heat-sealed two plastic shower curtains together, trapping air bubbles in a material they first hoped to sell as textured wallpaper.
What happened and why it matters
Bubble wrap gave shippers a light, cheap cushioning material, and its descendants still protect fragile items in nearly every fulfillment center. The wallpaper idea failed, greenhouse insulation also failed, and Fielding and Chavannes founded Sealed Air in 1960 to sell the material, first under the name Air Cap. The commercial break came when IBM used it to protect its new 1401 computer in shipping. Today packers weigh bubble wrap against air pillows, paper and molded pulp as void fill and protective packaging, balancing damage rates, dimensional weight and customer concerns about plastic waste.
People
Related events
Sources
- The Accidental Invention of Bubble Wrap (Smithsonian Magazine) smithsonianmag.com
- Bubble Wrap (brand) (Wikipedia) en.wikipedia.org