More than 80 years in, Lego continues to impress and keep things fresh. The world has come to expect this of Scandinavian design, and Lego is no exception. The Danish toy company is known for constantly releasing new products and growing its fanbase — of both children and adults. Now Lego is making good on its promise to make some of its pieces from sustainable, plant-based plastic.

In 2015, the environmentally conscious company announced it was researching ways to produce the 60 billion oil-based plastic blocks they make each year from new sustainable materials, a goal for having a sustainable alternative within 15 years. This may be ironic because what child ever throws away their Lego? It may be the single most-saved childhood toy of both boys and girls that gets passed on to the next generation year after year after year.

The new material, sourced from sugarcane, is a flexible, soft and durable plastic called polyethylene. "Children and parents will not notice any difference in the quality or appearance of the new elements, because plant-based polyethylene has the same properties as conventional polyethylene," said Tim Brooks, Lego Group's vice president for environmental responsibility.

Lego, a member of the RE100, a global initiative made up of some of the world's biggest companies committed to renewable power, is targeting zero waste in operations by 2030. They are on their way toward that target: Production has already started and the plant-based plastic Lego will be in new boxes of Lego before the end of 2018. "This is a great first step in our ambitious commitment of making all Lego bricks using sustainable materials," Brooks said.

In recent memory Lego honored the women of Nasa with a set of blocks, they’ve made stop-motion movies and Lego video games, even theme parks, and so much more. Not long after February 2017’s release of The Lego Batman Movie, little time elapsed before the next big announcement: Lego tape. This new Lego-compatible adhesive bends, curves and can be cut to any size. It makes any surface ― the wall, refrigerator, even your shoes ― totally Lego friendly.

Lego began in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter from Billund, Denmark. Christiansen began making wooden toys in 1932, and gave his company the name Lego two years later. The name was coined by Christiansen from the Danish phrase “leg godt,” which means “play well.” It expanded to producing plastic toys in 1940, and nine years later it began producing the now famous interlocking pieces.