Toys have demanding lives – children lick them, throw them, chew them, and drop them. They need to be washed frequently. And parents require that the materials do not leach out any chemicals or heavy metals.
Instead of conventional petroleum-based plastics, ARBOFORM® is made of 100 percent renewable materials. It is a fibre composite manufactured by mixing lignin – one wood component discarded during paper-making – with small fibres of wood, hemp or flax, and natural additives such as wax. The combination creates a plastic granulate that can be melted and injection-molded. About 50 million tonnes of lignin are produced annually by the pulp industry. Typically 95 percent is burned for thermal energy production.
Liquid wood has already been used to make automobile parts, construction materials, and other items, but the toy market has been untapped to date. The problem has been sulphur content, as sulphur compounds are used to separate lignin from cellulose during processing. The result is pretty smelly and not appealing for toys. Recognizing the limited applications of sulphurous liquid wood, collaborators at ICT and TECNARO GmbH – where it was first developed – have come up with a method requiring only 10 percent of the original sulphur compounds. It is a challenge, as without the sulphur compounds, lignin can be quite water-soluble. That is not appropriate for toys that may be placed in the bath or left in the rain, not to mention being sucked. Different additives have been used to modify the liquid wood and make it more resilient. The resulting bioplastic appears to be fully recyclable as well.
In collaboration with toy manufacturers Schleich GmbH, the first toy products have been created. Small figurines, chess pieces, and blocks are all possibilities. The liquid wood toys were awarded a safety certificate (EN71 – Part 3) under food-grade testing, demonstrating that no hazardous substances were detectable.
Other positive aspects include the fact that, along with being more sustainable, liquid wood produces fewer carbon dioxide emissions compared to petrochemical plastics. Look for it on the shelves in the future, and try to buy natural wood and other non-plastic toys in the meantime.
Photo credit: Pixel Packing Mama
We have several babies in our family who are at the stage where everything goes into the mouth. This product sounds ideal for them (and their moms, dads, and grands).
Sounds great! I have a new family member and while he’s not at the eat everything stage, it will be soon that he follows in the motions of his parents and starts chewing on everything in sight!
So how do you know you are gettin abroform? Is it branded right on the product?
Great!!!!
Think of all those plastic Lego blocks and similar items that could be converted to plastic wood and recyled once the kids no longer play with them.
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