Kickstart: This is not real

This is not a real Lego set.

It's an image created by artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT via a "brick box generator" noted as a "parody account," presumably to get past intellectual property laws. (I won't be surprised if the actual Danish toy company finds a way to shut it down soon.)

Yes, it looks real — real enough that I briefly checked the official Lego A/S website to see if I'd missed an announcement of some Manufacturing Day-related special releases. Then I spotted a lot of similar images, too many to have been legit. I mean, what kid asks for a LinkedIn Lego set? I'm sure a lot more will show up soon.

If you're a fan of the bricks and AI, perhaps you've already asked ChatGPT to make your own version of a toy take on your company or industry branch. But even if you're not, take this as a reminder that computer-generated photos and text are definitely growing in use, and it may be harder and harder to spot what's real from what's AI. Be skeptical of what you see.

AI is continuing to find places for use in Industry 4.0 improvements, but it's also going to continue to cause some confusion, too.

What is "sustainable packaging"?

Bottles made with recycled content? Lightweight pouches? Recyclable containers? Paper? Glass? Maybe something with bio-based feedstock?

How about "all of the above," as Sustainable Plastics Editor Karen Laird put it during the Sustainable Plastics Live livestream Dec. 5.

Claiming that you use packaging that is sustainable is one thing, but achieving it is difficult. A shortfall in recycling infrastructure makes it hard to ensure packaging is circular. Paper containers may try to say they're better for the environment, but they're difficult to reclaim because they have plastic film coatings. Flexible packaging isn't readily accepted in recycling collections even when they're made with only one material.

The European Union is setting some big targets for greener packaging, but it's "very difficult to make everybody happy," she said. "There's always going to be somebody who's left out."

In addition to the livestream with PN Editor Don Loepp (a replay is available here for subscribers), SP takes on sustainability and packaging in the November/December issue, available here to download.

Plastics and cycling are going "extreme." Or going to "Xtreme-Tech," as the three men planning to ride 1,300 kilometers through North Africa on e-bikes made with thermoplastic frames call their planned expedition.

Materials company Lehvoss Group supplied the carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic used for the Buddy X1 bike that will cover "mountains, snowfields and the hot desert to prove [that] bicycle frames and components made of thermoplastics can withstand even the toughest demands," Lehvoss said in a blog post.

The event also is intended to show that e-bikes can withstand demanding conditions while remaining a sustainable method of travel, organizers said. Using thermoplastics rather than a thermoset composite also improves recyclability at the bikes' end of life.