What are backpacks made of?
Backpacks take 7 things directly, among them nylon, polyester, polyurethane, polyethylene, sewing thread and zipper. Trace them back and you pass 35 made things on the way to 16 raw materials.
How backpacks are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
From the ground: 16 raw materials
- Water through sewing thread
- Natural gas through plastic
- Air through nylon, ammonia
- Crude oil through plastic, propylene
- Rock salt through polyurethane, chlorine
- Coal through zipper, aluminum
- Sulfur through polyurethane, chlorine, sulfuric acid
- Copper ore through zipper, brass, copper
- Zinc ore through zipper, brass, zinc
- Lead ore through zipper, brass, lead
- Tin ore through zipper, brass, tin
- Bauxite through zipper, aluminum, alumina
- Corn through polyester, PET plastic, ethylene glycol, carbon dioxide
- Limestone through polyester, PET plastic, ethylene glycol, carbon dioxide
- Sugarcane through polyester, PET plastic, ethylene glycol, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through polyester, PET plastic, ethylene glycol, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 28 things
Metals 8
Chemicals and fuels 17
BenzeneNitric acidAmmoniaPropyleneChlorineEthyleneNaphthaHydrogenToluenePara-xyleneEthylene glycolSulfuric acidPetroleum cokeOxygen gasCarbon dioxideCaustic sodaQuicklime