I've been working with a lot of humanitarian help lately, and have noticed that most mediocre plastic sheeting (tarpaulin) is blue whereas the good stuff is white or white on one side and black on the other. Why is most plastic sheeting blue? Is there any particular reason for this choice in color?
Interesting! Rope seems to be blue too.
Blue has a psychological effect which has been studied to produce a state of non-aggression, which can be useful in humanitarian efforts. Blue is also considered by many to be the color which best symbolizes fidelity, trust.
1) Blue is a color that contrasts most other natural colors in it's surroundings such as green grass and brown dirt, and therefore is found easily for cleanup. 2) Out of the colors they could use, blue is the cheapest to produce. Black, and surprisingly even white, costs more than blue die. This is because most raw plastic is a gray or multiple colors, so it takes more bleach to make it white than it does to just color it blue. Plus the materials necessary to create blue die are cheaper than most other colors. 3) Blue does not absorb as much heat as some other colors would, and therefore will keep it's integrity longer.
