I guess my sceptical stance derives from everyday observations, that bio or green products often (not always ofc) are worse products at higher price compared to the conventional standard. Bio-degradable bags for organic waste being one of the more striking examples. I'm still looking for one that doesn't already degrade within my waste bin :)
Regarding Lego, I fully agree that it seems rather unlikely that they would risk their outstanding reputation with such a move. A poor product quality would be revealed immediately and upset millions of customers. Only the german automotive industry can afford that...
So, the two types of plastic are actually the same chemically, and it is the manufacturing process that is different.
This is a great addition to your post. In theory, if the polymer would exactly be the same then so should be the quality of the bricks. However, in chemistry, a different manufacturing process always means a different product, e.g. in terms of impurities. Now, in particular when it comes to polymerization, small amounts in whatever remnants can have a measurable impact on the products quality.
Anyway, I'm confident that Lego has done enough stress testing to ensure flawless quality for their bio bricks.
Hi again, @shaka.
Yeah, I get what you mean. I sometimes find my biodegradeable waste bags to have been torn while still in the bin. It's really frustrating when I have to clean the bin to remove old food..
It unfortunately seems like we have to choose a trade-off for most "green" products these days; either we get it cheap and durable, or we get it from a sustainable source. It would be truly amazing if we managed to create a type of bioplastic that was just as good, or even better, than regular fossil fuel plastic.
That's a good point. There's always a gap between theory and real life, so I guess it all boild down to whether or not we have good faith in the company that attempts this. While I want to trust that Lego is certain about this, I also think you are right in questioning them. Maybe this is also the reason why they are only going to be making 1 - 2 % of the new bricks from this green plastic; to kind of test them in real situations before increasing the production? I'm sure they have tested it a lot in the labs, but there can also be a gap between the lab and real life as well.
That was a wonderful conversation @shaka and @valth. The questions that I had in my mind after reading the article were discussed clearly in this conversation. Thank you.
I'm glad you got your questions answered :) I guess I should probably have added a bit about this in the main post!