From a very young age, I was extremely fond of Lego and I would often find myself engulfed for hours putting together the little plastic pieces, hoping to build a masterpiece. However, I soon realized that these Lego pieces were no friends of the environment. After identifying Lego as an avenue for reform, I began to research the specifics that went into manufacturing each box of Legos.

As I delved deeper into the details, I found out that Lego manufactures their pieces from a plastic called ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), which is fossil-fuel based. To make just 1 kg of ABS plastic, 2 kgs of petroleum are required, hence quickly depleting the limited fossil-fuels available. In order to decrease their carbon footprint, Lego has recently decided to create some pieces out of bio-ethanol produced from Brazilian sugarcane. While this may seem like a viable solution, cultivation of Brazilian sugarcane would undoubtedly require a large plantation that would use pesticides, fertilizers, and a great amount of water, therefore putting enormous strain on the environment. 

As an alternative, I would like to propose my own solution. I recognized that sunflowers are a great source of bio-ethanol. Oil can be extracted from the sunflower seeds and processed into an environment-friendly biodiesel. In addition, the biomass from the remaining plant waste can be used to power the Lego factory itself, saving the company a significant amount of money. While it provides a sustainable solution, sunflowers are also extremely low maintenance and in fact are often found growing in the wild.

Plastic pieces from the "Great Lego Spill of 1997" are still washing up on shore to this day. More than 20 years ago, 5 million Lego pieces were spilled into the Atlantic Ocean from a ship’s cargo and have had a major effect on marine life. To forestall such problems in the future, Lego can use the substance PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) to make flexible miscellaneous accessories/decoration pieces such as the plants, lamp-posts, etc. PVA is a biodegradable substance that can dissolve in water and is non-toxic to fish and other marine creatures, ensuring that there is no issue if these pieces enter the waterways. PVA also has high tensile strength, meaning it will not break under tension, making it extremely kid-friendly. 

Please sign and share this petition to help me in my fight to save the environment. 

BE PART OF THE SOLUTION, NOT THE POLLUTION!