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Lego to launch its first sustainable, plant-based plastic bricks this year

After ramping up its efforts to shift towards more sustainable materials in 2015, perennial purveyor of plastic blocks Lego is making good on that promise and is set to launch a new form of eco-friendly playthings this year.

By Nick Lavars

5 Mar 2018

Lego says the new pieces made with sugarcane ethanol make up between one and two percent of the total plastic pieces it produces.

The toymaker established its Sustainable Materials Centre two-and-a-half years ago, announcing a US$165 million investment aimed at uncovering more sustainable production methods for its beloved plastic bricks. It had previously declared its ambition to use sustainable materials in its core products and packaging by 2030.

The first fruits of this labour will be Lego pieces crafted from a plant-based polyethylene plastic, made with ethanol sourced from sugarcane. Fitting with theme, these will be plant-oriented pieces such as leaves, bushes and trees, made 100 percent from the plant-based plastic. According to Lego, these pieces make up between one and two percent of the total plastic pieces it produces, and have been tested to ensure they offer the same degree of durability.

Source: Lego

Continue reading the full article on New Atlas.

Source: New Atlas

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About Nick Lavars

Nick Lavars was born outside of Melbourne, Australia, with a general curiosity that has drawn him to some distant (and very cold) places. Somewhere between enduring a winter in the Canadian Rockies and trekking through Chilean Patagonia, he graduated from university and pursued a career in journalism. Having worked for publications such as The Santiago Times and The Conversation, he now writes for New Atlas from Melbourne, excited by tech and all forms of innovation, the city's bizarre weather and curried egg sandwiches.