New eco-friendly toys up for environmental award
Green Dot Bioplastics and toymaker BeginAgain have collaborated to create a new, nearly 100% bio-based line of eco-friendly toys licensed by John Deere. The John Deere EcoRigs were recently named to a shortlist for the Bio-based Product of the Year Award, to be presented at the Bio-Based Live conference in San Diego.
At the conference Mark Remmert, CEO of Green Dot Bioplastics, and Chris Clemmer, CEO of BeginAgain, will present about how to design, develop and market bio-based toys for children of all ages. Bio-Based Live will be held on September 26-27, featuring more than 200 exhibitors and 50 speakers.
The John Deere Eco Rigs, now available in stores, are fashioned from one of Green Dot’s Terratek® bio-based biocomposites, combining polyethylene derived from sugarcane with corncob fibers sourced from Midwest farms. The first two toys are modeled after a front loader and dump truck, the same vehicles used in the harvesting of the sourced materials.
The project began when BeginAgain commissioned Green Dot to formulate a bio-based biocomposite for the toy. Green Dot formulated a nearly 100% renewable material, combining corncob fibers with Braskem’s ‘I’m Green’ bio-based polyethylene, a thermoplastic resin made from sugarcane ethanol. Compounded, molded and assembled in the Midwest, the new bioplastic toys were created to promote reclamation and the use of regionally produced agricultural byproducts.
This collaboration between innovative material scientists, an imaginative toymaker and an iconic brand enables parents and children of all ages to contribute to a more sustainable world with eco-friendly toys.
