Danish toy maker Lego announced 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.
