Leaves and flowers; bushes and trees will be replaced in the most famous children's building set of all time this year by elements made of polyethylene produced from ethanol derived from sugar cane.
The transition to the new material will be slow; with the company initially planning to replace around two per cent of its production with it. The entire product portfolio will be replaced with more environmentally friendly materials by 2030; by which time; according to the European "plastic strategy" initiative; all plastics used must be recyclable.
The iDnes editorial team reported that the company declined to comment; whether the new material will make production more expensive or cheaper. It can be assumed that the new material will be more expensive; but the fact that the company is thus demonstrating a responsible approach to the environment is not insignificant.
Although the new bioplastic can be recycled repeatedly; the British daily The Guardian notes that even sugarcane cubes will not be 100% biodegradable. The question is whether this will ultimately be a poisoned chalice for the environment: it has recently become apparent that there is a problem with bioplastics because if they get mixed in with ordinary plastics; they prevent recycling by contaminating the entire batch. The manufacturer recommends composting; but since most of it decomposes at 60 °C; this requires industrial composters – in which case; bioplastic ultimately causes more problems than it solves.
Will the popular Czech Igráček toy soon get a more environmentally friendly makeover? It's hard to say; but it could happen. The popular Czech toy is manufactured by Efko from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; which is also used to make the Danish building blocks.
