Lego company pledges to phase out fossil-fuel-based plastics and make all blocks from sugarcane by 2030
Danish toy maker Lego announced last week that all its core products and packaging will soon be made from “bio”plastic.
Plant-based Lego leaves, trees and bushes are already in production and will be included in all Lego packages
The blocks will be identical in appearance and just as durable as the old ones, the company says.
It’s still plastic, non-biodegradable, and far from perfect, but unlike the old Lego material, it’s highly recyclable and comes from a renewable resource – sugarcane grown in Brazil.
Some environmentalists call the move a step in the right direction. Others are concerned about how many acres of rain forest might need to be cleared for sugar plantations.
“You’ll find haters, but it’s way better than petroleum,” Stephen Mayfield, a molecular biologist at UC San Diego, told Mashable.
Switching from oil-based to plant-based plastics cuts the carbon footprint of a product by around 70 percent, Mayfield said.
Comments
3 responses to “Legos Will Be Made of 100% Plant-Based Plastic by 2030”
But are they biodegradable? It’s about more than carbon footprint. I
For example, current fossil-fuel derived plastics survive forever in the marine environment, breaking down into microplastics and subsequently bio-accumulating higher concentrations as they move up the marine trophic web (aka “food chain”).
So, will the breakdown products of such highly-refined, bio-derivative plastics used in Legos actually break down into organic molecules that significantly reduced ecosystem impact?
I really think they should change from sugarcane to hemp, at least there will be a better change in the impact that they will leave behind.
2030?? and Sugarcane?? both bad choices …….
try 2020 and HEMP!