: The most significant leap occurred during WWII when the Allies lost access to 90% of the world's natural rubber supply. In response, the U.S. government launched an industrial policy triumph, scaling the production of Buna S (Styrene-Butadiene Rubber or SBR) to fuel the war effort.
The development of synthetic rubber was driven by economic shifts and global crises: synthetic rubber
: In the 1950s, Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta developed catalysts that allowed for the creation of "synthetic natural rubber" (cis-polyisoprene), which mimics the structure of tree-harvested rubber almost perfectly. Common Types and Their Applications : The most significant leap occurred during WWII