With their green, plant-inspired pieces, for now. As per the LEGO website,
“LEGO® botanical elements such as leaves, bushes and trees will be made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane in the future and will appear in LEGO boxes already in 2018.”
This is the first step of Denmark-based LEGO’s zero waste in operations target – The company has committed to using only sustainable materials in its core products and packaging by 2030.
In an official statement, Tim Brooks, the Vice President of Environmental Responsibility at LEGO, said, “We are proud that the first Lego elements made from sustainably-sourced plastic are in production and will be in Lego boxes this year. This is a great first step in our ambitious commitment of making all Lego bricks using sustainable materials.”
The material will be sourced from sugarcane – though, no, they won’t be edible. The leaves, bushes, and trees will be made of a soft plastic called polyethylene, and, even though it is made from sugarcane, LEGO promises that the quality will be the same as any of their other pieces.
Says Brooks, “Children and parents will not notice any difference in the quality or appearance of the new elements, because plant-based polyethylene has the same properties as conventional polyethylene.”
The pieces will be made in accordance with the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) and are certified by the Bonsucro Chain of Custody – which is the gold-standard, and gold-star for the responsible production of sugar cane-based products.
Production of the pieces has already started. They’re expected to be available for purchase online and in-store later in 2018.
More details, including the breakdown of environmental initiatives and the details of their plan, can be found in the company website newsroom.
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