Absolutely. There no reason we should still be using molecular-scale manufacturing process that starts at petroleum and ends with whatever our designer materials happen to turn into in a landfill or the ocean when exposed to heat, light, and bacteria for decades. We can build cradle-to-grave considerations into the design of these materials, making them not just for the properties they have while they’re useful but also for the ease with which we can unbuild them again when we don’t need them any longer, and prevent those molecules from ever getting out into the environment in the first place.
I think this will become especially important once 3D printing takes over – once you’re done with your 3D printed widget you should just be able the throw it back into hopper and decompose it back to precursor monomers. Building better enzymes to do that kind of thing quickly and cheaply seems like a great starting point, and bacteria are much better chemists than we are, so we can gain a lot by stealing their tricks.
