Everyone loved Lego as a kid, building up a castle one day then demolishing it and building a space station the next.
Its versatility to be anything you could imagine was what made it such a great invention and in fact is still being loved by children, and adults around the world today. It was quite frankly Awesome!
I can still remember the angered screams as my parents would stand on a block that I’d left on the floor and how angry I’d get with myself when I knocked my amazing creation off the table onto the floor and see it smash into a million pieces.
Lego is made from plastic which is all over the news at the moment due to it being single use and its toxic chemicals that get released when it starts to degrade such as bisphenol A.
Scientists have worked out that approximately eight million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans each year, which needs to stop!
Lego have decided that they are going to find a renewable replacement for their oil based bricks by the year 2030.
One of the options that is currently going around is hemp.
Hemp is a fantastic material that is often overlooked, it is made from stalks of the Cannabis sativa plant. As a fabric is is very breathable, insulating and is currently used for a number of products such as t-shirts, underwear and socks.
Lego has been the must have building block of choice for children for many years with over 19 billion bricks being produced each and every year. They’ve built themselves into the very blocks of the toy industry.
There are already a number of companies who are researching the uses for hemp for products, a company called Hemp Plastic said that it is perfect for a base material due to its high content of cellulose.
Hemp is both non-toxic and biodegradable and can be manufactured to meet FDA standard as proved by Hemp Plastic who’s hemp plastic has been approved for food, pharmaceuticals and agricultural products.
Whilst they have confirmed Lego is going renewable they haven’t confirmed whether it is going to be hemp that they will be switching too we definitely think it should be an option to look into.
They have already started production of a new range called their ‘Elements’ which are made of plastic sourced from sugarcane and include models of leaves, bushes and trees.
Tim Brooks who has the incredible title of Vice President of Environmental Responsibility said “This is a great first step in our ambitious commitment of making all LEGO bricks using sustainable materials”
This is an amazing step in the right direction or Lego and we hope to see more statements like this with new ranges from plant sourced sustainable product and packaging!
Building children’s future one brick at a time
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