Plastics are amazing as a container. They are light, easily formable, and can be very sturdy. But there is no doubt that the environmental impact is massive, and plastics can take centuries to degrade in some cases. 

And even worse, when it does, it forms microplastic pieces that are turning up in all corners of the natural world, including our own bodies, where they wreak havoc on our health in ways we’re only just beginning to understand.

But scientists in Japan developed a new type of plastic that can work just as well as the regular stuff when it’s needed, and break down readily into safe compounds when it’s not. It’s made of what are known as supramolecular polymers, which have reversible bonds that function like sticky notes that can be attached, removed and reattached.

In practice, the scientists found that the material was just as strong as normal plastic during use, and was non-flammable, colorless and transparent. Immersed in saltwater though, the plastic completely dissolved in about eight and a half hours.

There’s one major hurdle with any degradable plastic material of course: what if it comes into contact with the catalyst for its destruction before you want it to? A plastic cup is no good if certain liquids can dissolve it, after all.

In this case, the team found that applying hydrophobic coatings prevented any early breaking down of the material. When you eventually want to dispose of it, a simple scratch on the surface was enough to let the saltwater back in, allowing the material to dissolve just as quickly as the non-coated sheets.

Sounds like one day plastics might not be such a bad thing for our planet after all!