LEGO makes its first step towards full sustainability, after announcing that some of its pieces are going to be made from sugarcane-based plastics. The Danish building block brand has long been held up as one of the most important toys in the world, and has captured the imagination of generations of creative kids across the globe.
Of course, in recent years LEGO has reached even greater heights, in part thanks to partnerships such as LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Batman. Not only has it led to a whole new load of (very popular) LEGO sets, but it’s also allowed LEGO to firmly grip onto other media such as movies.
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However, at the end of the day the core business for the company comes first, and LEGO as just confirmed a major change to its production. As reported by CNBC, LEGO has revealed that it is going to start making certain pieces, including the likes of leaves, bushes and trees, from a sustainable in nature plant-based plastic – so that means the LEGO Death Star trench run won’t be going green any time soon. This plastic will be formed from sugarcane, and as it turns out production has already begun.
What’s more, the new pieces will also be released this year. “We are proud that the first LEGO elements made from sustainably-sourced plastic are in production and will be in LEGO boxes this year,” said Tim Brooks, LEGO’s vice president for environmental responsibility. The pieces will be more flexible, so it also means that there’s the potential to avoid that severe pain found from stepping on a rogue LEGO piece left on the floor.
This marks a major step in LEGO’s goal towards using sustainable materials in all of its major products by 2030. The company has been strongly worded in its commitment to reducing waste and its carbon footprint for some time, and particularly since the criticism that the company received over its long-running partnership with Shell. LEGO ended its deal with the oil giant back in 2014 after pressure from Greenpeace.
It will no doubt be interesting to see how these new pieces gel with the traditional blocks, and how LEGO plans to integrate them over time with other pieces. After all, if there is a substantially different feel to these new plant-based polyethylene pieces, then fans could find some unique ways to tie in the new botanical units to old sets. Let’s hope it’s a strong first step to sustainability, and those great creations such as Stranger Things LEGO keep on coming.
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Source: CNBC
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