Photography by Marcel Strauß
The legendary Danish toymaker decided that, by 2030, it can make the transition from the currently used plastic resin to environmentally friendly hemp. The look and feel of LEGO blocks will remain exactly the same, says the Project Manager at LEGO Allan Rasmussen.
Plant taxonomy makes no distinction between hemp and its psychoactive cousin, marijuana. They are two cultivars of the same plant species, and the only difference between them is that they are bred and grown for different purposes.
100% Natural and Biodegradable
Zeoform, one of the many companies that work with hemp bioplastic, has pioneered a new industrial-strength molding material called Micro Pulp. It’s not just another additive to make a traditional technology look more ‘green’. It’s a way to make plastic out of nothing else but hemp cellulose and water.
This allows one to save forests and leave a minimal carbon footprint, but also to produce plastic that is durable and 100-percent biodegradable at the same time. And such as a sustainable technology—where you virtually grow plastic on fields as an annual crop—is something that LEGO sees as the way of the future.
Eco-Friendly Meets Cost-Effective
‘Green’ materials are often more expensive to make than their counterparts made of petroleum and other chemicals. But not with hemp. It’s the single most high-yielding plant species of the temperate zone in terms of biomass production per acre of land.
What it means for plastic producers like LEGO, is that they can make even more money for their shareholders if they switch to production methods that help save our planet. After an initial investment necessary to convert to hemp bioplastic, the technology will turn into a well-greased revenue-generating machine.
