FACT CHECK: Did Lego Announce Plans To Switch To Hemp Plastics By 2030?

An image shared on Facebook claims Lego announced it aims to transition to making its products out of hemp plastics by 2030.

Verdict: False

There is no record of Lego announcing a shift to hemp plastics by 2030. A spokesperson for Lego confirmed the claim is “not true.”

Fact Check:

A widely shared image claims Lego “has announced plans to switch to Hemp plastics by 2030!” The image includes a picture of a Lego figure and cannabis plants.

Hemp fiber can be used to create a biodegradable and recyclable plastic commonly referred to as hemp plastic, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Several companies already produce hemp plastic, Packaging Gateway reports. (RELATED: Can You Smoke Marijuana On TV?)

Lego’s website states the majority of its toy pieces are made from a plastic known as “ABS,” shorthand for its constituent chemical compounds: acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene. ABS is produced with chemicals derived from petroleum, according to the Department of Energy.

Lego, however, has not made such an announcement about hemp plastics. Check Your Fact searched the company’s social media posts as well as its website but found no mention of the alleged plan to switch to that material. There are likewise no credible news reports about the company announcing such a switch.

A similar claim appeared in a July 10, 2019 article on the website Real Cannabis Entrepreneur titled, “LEGO Goes To Hemp Plastic By 2030 (The Kids Are Going Green).” The article, however, does not provide any links to substantiate its claims. An editor’s note at the bottom of the piece clarifies the story “may not be 100% true” and was based on a February 2014 Plastic News report that stated Lego is searching for a sustainable replacement for ABS but mentions nothing about hemp plastic.

While there is no evidence that Lego is currently planning to switch to hemp plastic, its website notes the company hopes to make its bricks from “sustainable sources” by 2030, a goal that requires “creating entirely new materials.” The company unveiled a prototype brick made from recycled “PET plastic from discarded water bottles” in June, according to a press release.

Lego Americas Director of Communications Jennifer MacDonald told Check Your Fact via email that the rumor of Lego revealing a planned transition to hemp plastics was “not true.”

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