Danish toymaker LEGO is making progress towards its goal of sustainable products by 2030. Since its inception in 1949, LEGO bricks have been a wildly popular toy for children.
In 2015, the company set its sights on manufacturing a sustainable product that can achieve the same properties as the classic LEGO bricks, which are made from petroleum-based acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. They invested $1 billion into completely overhauling the bricks and packaging.
Every year LEGO makes 19 million bricks that are made of ABS plastic.
Environmental Engagement Manager at LEGO, Matt Whitby, talks about the challenges the company faces pertaining to the physical properties:
The main technical challenge is developing materials that have the same physical properties such as stiffness, friction, and shine. Most importantly, the bricks need clutch power, the flexibility that enables bricks to be put together and taken apart by a child.
Whitby goes on to say future LEGO bricks must continue to have high safety standards along with being produced from sustainable sources.
LEGO has also partnered up with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to help promote global action on climate change. The company has made investments in wind power to offset its carbon emissions, which also reduces the company’s CO2 emissions for the manufacturing and supply of the LEGO bricks. LEGO reached 100% renewable energy in 2019, 3 years ahead of schedule.
In 2019, the company introduced a new treehouse kit which is made from a polyethylene manufactured using sugar cane.
Photo Credit: LEGO Ideas
“All sets with LEGO trees, leaves, and bushes in our LEGO sets — 80 different elements — are now made from plant-based plastic,” said Whitby.
This was accomplished with guidance from the WWF. Whitby continues; “This small change is the first important step of many on our journey towards using all sustainable materials by 2030.”
One of the ways the company will look to make changes is to identify which materials can easily be substituted for sustainable polyethylene. They will need to find new ways to manufacture resins, with one possibly being to brew the plastic in the same manner that’s used to brew beer.
Molly Morse, President and Founder of Mango Materials recently told Forbes:
The advanced, precision engineering required to manufacture the iconic LEGO is not easily amenable to a new polymer.
As part of LEGO’s 2030 goal, the company also wants to have its packaging be 100% sustainable by 2025. Morse gives her opinion here:
This should be relatively easy. Forest-friendly certified recycled cardboard is widely available, and companies like Mango are creating materials that will increasingly find their way into packaging.
Lastly, Morse said LEGO may be able to grow its materials necessary for the bricks using nature as their guide.
LEGO is making progress and isn’t the only toy company to recently announce a sustainability goal. Major toy-maker Mattel has announced its plans to start producing sustainable toys made from either sugarcane or recycled plastics by 2030 as well. Another company cited was Ecovative, which uses mycelium or mushrooms to create plastic packaging alternatives.
With the company investing $1 billion into this green initiative, I’m sure they can reach their goals and, with a bit of luck, maybe far sooner than 2030.
