Words by Smiley Team
Throughout time Lego has adjusted to the changing interests of children everywhere. When the original primary-coloured bricks lost their appeal, they introduced Lego sets based on trending films. Today the toy company is updating again, this time to meet the needs of our planet.
A new brick made from recycled plastic has emerged from three years of research. Lego will test the prototype before introducing it to the market in over a year. Materials scientists and engineers trialed over 250 variations of recycled PET plastics before finding one that met their health and safety requirements.
Unveiling the brick, vice president of environmental responsibility at the Lego Group Tim Brooks said: “We are super excited about this breakthrough. The biggest challenge on our sustainability journey is rethinking and innovating new materials that are as durable, strong and high quality as our existing bricks – and fit with Lego elements made over the past 60 years. With this prototype we’re able to showcase the progress we’re making.”
The new brick passed the company’s strict quality and safety criteria, making it the first recycled item to do so. It uses PET plastic recycled bottles sourced from suppliers in the United States that follow nationally approved quality checking processes.
On average, they can produce ten two by four Lego bricks from every one-litre bottle.
They expect the research process to continue for over a year before the brick becomes available on shop shelves. The team will test and develop the material further before deciding whether to start producing the brick on a larger scale.
Named after the Danish words for ‘play well’, Lego has a lot to live up to. In an age when young people are increasingly anxious about the future of our planet, playing well today might be taken to mean playing with toys that permit any future at all.
“We know kids care about the environment and want us to make our products more sustainable,” said Brooks. “Even though it will be a while before they will be able to play with bricks made from recycled plastic, we want to let kids know we’re working on it and bring them along on the journey with us.
“Experimentation and failing is an important part of learning and innovation. Just as kids build, unbuild and rebuild with LEGO bricks at home, we’re doing the same in our lab.”
The recycled brick is just the latest development in Lego’s mission to become more sustainable, led by a team of more than 150 people researching sustainable solutions.
In 2020, the company said it will start eliminating single-use plastic from its boxes. Two years before that, it began working with sustainably sourced sugarcane to produce smaller, softer items including Lego trees, branches, leaves and accessories for the figurines. However, they found this material was unsuitable for producing the stronger parts such as the bricks.
Going forward, the company will invest up to $400 million USD over three years in developing sustainable solutions.
Brooks said: “We’re committed to playing our part in building a sustainable future for generations of children. We want our products to have a positive impact on the planet, not just with the play they inspire, but also with the materials we use. We still have a long way to go on our journey but are pleased with the progress we’re making.”
