Lego goes green with sugarcane-based plastic

Lego's leaves, bushes and trees are going properly green after the Danish toymaker said they would be made with plastic sourced from sugarcane.

The pieces will be included in Lego's box sets from this year onwards.

The move is part of the Danish company's pledge to use sustainable materials in its products and packaging by 2030.

The toys will be made with a polyethylene produced with ethanol made from sugarcane.

The polyethylene pieces will make up just 1% to 2% of the total amount of plastic elements produced by Lego.

However, Tim Brooks, the firm's vice-president of environmental responsibility, said: "This is a great first step in our ambitious commitment of making all Lego bricks using sustainable materials."

He said that children and parents would not notice a difference in the new pieces because "plant-based polyethylene has the same properties as conventional polyethylene".

Lego said the sugarcane was "sourced sustainably", adding that the elements made with the new plastic had been tested to ensure they met the company's "high standards for quality and safety".

Lego pieces are made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, which is based on crude oil.

In 2015, the toy maker said it was setting up a centre to develop new sustainable raw materials for its bricks and packaging.