Plastic is strong, durable and everywhere. That’s exactly the problem.

More than 90 percent of all plastic ever produced ends up polluting the environment. Once discarded, most plastics do not truly break down. Instead, they fragment into microplastics that can linger in ecosystems for centuries.

Now chemists at Rutgers University say they may have found a way to change that.

Inspired by how natural materials break down, the researchers have designed a new type of plastic that can be programmed to dismantle itself into its original molecular building blocks at the end of its useful life.

The idea borrows directly from biology.

Natural materials such as DNA, proteins and cellulose are all polymers, just like plastic. But unlike synthetic plastics, these natural polymers contain built-in mechanisms that cause them to break down once they are no longer needed.

“Nature has programmed its own degradation of polymers … and we are basically borrowing this chemistry to apply to our synthetic polymers,” said researcher Yuwei Gu, who led the study.

Traditional plastics are made from long chains of molecules called polymers that are held together by extremely strong chemical bonds. These bonds give plastics their durability, but also make them stubbornly resistant to decomposition.

The Rutgers team modified that structure.

They inserted tiny molecular “cutting tools” along the polymer chains, similar to chemical groups found in natural biological materials. When activated, those tools sever the bonds that hold the plastic together, reducing the material back into its original molecular components.

Instead of leaving behind microplastics, the material dissolves into a molecular mixture of the monomers used to create it.

That breakthrough means plastics could retain their strength during use and then cleanly break down afterward.

Even more intriguing, the researchers say the breakdown process can be programmed.

By adjusting where these molecular cutting points are placed along the polymer chain, scientists can control how long the plastic remains stable. A product could be designed to stay intact for months, years or decades before breaking apart.

The team also developed ways to trigger the breakdown on demand.

One method uses a protective “gate” within the molecular structure that blocks the cutting tool until it is opened by a trigger such as ultraviolet light. When exposed to the trigger, the plastic begins to disassemble itself.

But sunlight alone would not work in many environments, such as landfills or ocean depths. So researchers also developed a second trigger.

Drawing inspiration again from nature, the plastic can also change shape in response to metal ions in the environment. That shift in molecular structure moves the cutting tool into position, allowing the material to break apart even without sunlight.

Together, these mechanisms create plastics that can remain stable during use and then deconstruct when triggered.

Scientists say the innovation could help address one of the biggest weaknesses in modern plastic production.

Since the 1950s, the world has produced more than 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. Most of it still exists somewhere on the planet today. By 2050, researchers estimate total plastic production could reach 25 billion metric tons.

Meanwhile, less than 10 percent of plastic is currently recycled.

Francisco Martin-Martinez, a computational chemist at King’s College London who was not involved in the research, called the work promising.

“It’s a beautiful demonstration that we can use the fundamental laws of physics and chemistry to solve modern engineering problems,” he said.

The concept could also support a more circular economy.

If plastics break down into their original molecular components, those building blocks could potentially be reused to manufacture new plastics. Researchers say the technology could eventually be used to design products such as packaging that degrades after a few months or fishing nets that last only a specific number of years.

Challenges remain before the material becomes widespread. The plastics are complex to manufacture and could be more expensive than conventional materials. Researchers must also confirm that the breakdown components are safe and non-toxic.

Still, scientists see the work as an important step toward solving the plastic waste crisis.

“I believe the answers to solve lots of demanding challenges in today’s society can come directly from nature,” Gu said.