A Lego treehouse with bricks made out of plant materials instead of traditional plastic is going on sale from today, August 1.

The treehouse contains bricks made from polyethylene sourced from sugarcane and has the highest number of sustainable bricks ever in a Lego set.

Lego first launches sustainable bricks in 2018.

The treehouse is made up of more than 3,000 elements and is one of the largest Lego Ideas sets to date.

It is packed with play-inspiring features and comes with a landscape base and removable treetop to reveal three detailed cabins.

All 185 plants and leaves are made from sustainable materials sourced from sugarcane. This includes the treetop canopy, which has interchangeable sets of green summer leaf elements and yellow and brown autumn leaf elements.

Tim Brooks, Vice President, Environmental Responsibility, the Lego Group, said: “When I first saw the model, I was blown away. Not only because it looks amazing, but also because it connects strongly to the very reason, we are investing so much time and effort in identifying new and sustainable materials, which is to preserve natural resources and fulfill our planet promise.

"It really is an important step in our ambitious target of making all LEGO elements from sustainable materials."

During 2018, the LEGO Group began making botanical elements, including trees, leaves and bushes, from plant-based polyethylene using sustainably sourced sugarcane.

Children and parents will not notice any difference in the quality, durability or appearance of the new elements, because plant-based polyethylene has the same properties as conventional polyethylene.

The elements represent the first step in the Lego Group’s commitment to making products using sustainable materials by 2030.

The original idea for the treehouse was submitted through the Lego Ideas platform, where Lego fans can upload their creative builds. Users then have a chance to review and support the model and, given sufficient support, the build can end up as a certified Lego set with the help of Lego master designers.

In this case, the model was submitted  by fan designer Kevin Feeser from Nancy, France.

Kevin’s motivation for creating a treehouse stems in particular from his passion for the great outdoors combined with sophisticated Lego building skills.

The Lego Ideas Treehouse model is available directly from Lego Retail Stores and  shop.lego.com  from August 1, 2019.

It costs €/$199,99, is suitable for over 16s and has 3036 pieces, including 185 botanical elements made from plant-based polyethylene plastic using sustainably sourced sugarcane.

It measures more than 14” (37 cm) high, 10” (27 cm) wide and 9” (24 cm) deep

Fans can submit their own LEGO set ideas at  ideas.LEGO.com