earth block eco friendly LEGOs

‘earth blocks’ are composed of waste and renewable natural materials

‘earth blocks’ by japanese design studio colors tokyo bring an aspect of sustainability to the LEGO form, composed out of compressed natural materials into the classic stackable shape. the pieces are formed from natural materials– cedar bark scraps, coffee beans, sawdust, or green tea leaves– that have been blended with polypropylene in order to keep rigid. produced in just one size (1.25 by 5/8 by 5/8 inches), ‘earth blocks’ are slightly softer than their LEGO counterparts, but feature the same ability to snap together for building. sets of the bricks are sold through the guggenheim museum.

example sculpture

additional example constructions

currently, the series is available composed out of coffee beans, cedar bark scraps, sawdust, or green tea leaves

each line has its own colour and even smell based on the materials out of which it was manufactured above: ‘earth blocks’ in natural coffee bean

via dvice see a larger example sculpture created from the blocks in the wall street journal’s review