LEGO (乐高) recently announced that they will start producing pieces from sustainable (可持续的) sugar cane. The toys, which will be closely similar to classic ones, will also feature “botanical elements” like leaves, bushes, and trees.

The pieces will be included in LEGO’S box sets from this year onwards. The move is part of the Danish company’s campaign to use sustainable materials in its products by 2030.

However, Tim Brooks, the firm’s vice-president, said, “We want to make a positive influence on the world around us, and are working hard to make great play products for children using sustainable materials. This is a great first step in our goal to make all LEGO pieces using sustainable materials.”

The new line of production has reportedly already started with pieces being produced from polyethylene, which is a soft and durable plastic (耐用的塑料). LEGO says that we needn’t worry about the quality of the new products, as they’ve tested the plant-based plastic to ensure that it meets the high standards for quality and safety that consumers (消费者) expect from the company.

“LEGO products have always been about providing high quality play experiences and giving every child the chance to shape their own world through inventive play. Children and parents will not notice any difference in the quality or appearance of the new pieces, because plant-based polyethylene has the same qualities as traditional polyethylene,” said Tim Brooks.

“It is important that companies in each industry find ways to help ensure a future where people, nature, and the economy grow healthily,” said Alix Grabowski, an officer at WWF. “The LEGO Group’s decision to use sustainable plastics represents a great opportunity to reduce dependence on finite (有限的) resources, and their work with the Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance will allow them to connect with other companies to continue to think creatively about sustainability.”

When customers in downtown Vancouver placed orders with Pizza Hut in September, many of the pies landed on their doorsteps without a person in sight. Instead, diners were met by autonomous robots looking like a cooler on four wheels with eyelike lights.

The belief held by Serve Robotics is simple: with slim restaurant profits, a labor shortage and climate change worries “Why move a two-pound hamburger in a two-ton car?” A handful of other robotic delivery companies have the same idea, but they are facing several roadblocks.

“They’re drawing a lot of attention from people while they’re out on the sidewalk because they’re not seeing them that often and people are excited to see them, but as usage continues to increase, this can cause a lot of crowding on already narrow sidewalks,” said Prabhjot Gill, a McKinsey & Co. associate partner.

Ali Kashani, Serve’s Vancouver-bred chief executive, considers the criticism to be a natural part of innovation and thinks they are “a win-win for everybody“. But he’s tried to quiet concerns by ensuring his robots flash their lights to warn people they are around. They are equipped with automatic crash prevention, vehicle collision avoidance and emergency braking.

However, David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, said, ”It’s not like we’re denying people a service. We’ve got a way to deliver pizzas that we’ve had since we’ve had pizza delivery. It’s called human beings.“

Manish Dhankher, Pizza Hut Canada’s chief customer officer, agrees no pizza delivery is worth risking somebody’s safety, but said his company only partnered with Serve once the robots had made thousands of injury-free trips.

Serve robots only made nearby deliveries for Pizza Hut’s 1725 Robson St. location for two weeks, but the pilot generated ”childlike excitement“ from customers and had a 95 per cent satisfaction rate.

But Pizza Hut isn’t ready to roll out robots permanently.

”We want to learn more,“ he said. “What happens when you put this in the snowy areas of Saskatchewan and what happens when there is freezing rain?”