Each year millions of tonnes of plastic ends up in the sea, most of which isn’t biodegradable. That means it doesn’t break down over time, like paper or food, so instead it can hang around in the environment for hundreds of years.
And, when larger pieces of plastic such as drink bottles do break down, they can turn into much smaller pieces, called microplastics, which can be swallowed by sealife.
Scientists and manufacturers have been looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional plastic and researchers in Japan say they have now developed a version of the material that will fully dissolve in the ocean.