LEGO was founded in 1932 and still to this day is one of the most popular and well-loved toys to play with (whether you're a child or not). The famous plastic bricks have brought happiness to many people over the years and as we attempt to become increasingly proactive towards making plastic products easier to recycle and 'greener', the LEGO Group has invested in making their plastic bricks from sustainable materials by 2030.
Sustainable Plastic
LEGO have decided to invest over £97 million as well as hiring more than 100 employees as part of its plan to source sustainable materials which will replace the ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) used in its bricks. The company will create the LEGO Sustainable Materials Centre at its headquarters in Denmark which will include current employees as well as an additional 100 material specialists during the coming years.
The company said the project is
"dedicated to research, development and implementation of new, sustainable, raw materials to make the bricks and other toy products, and packaging materials."
In a statement, Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO and president of LEGO, said:
"This is a major step for the LEGO Group on our way towards achieving our 2030 ambition on sustainable materials. We have already taken important steps to reduce our carbon footprint and leave a positive impact on the planet by reducing the packaging size, by introducing [Forest Stewardship Council] certified packaging and through our investment in an offshore wind farm. Now we are accelerating our focus on materials."
Roar Trangbaek , spokesman for LEGO said:
"We are searching for any of the materials that will meet our needs. We are not ruling anything out at the moment," he said, "It's important that it doesn't compromise what LEGO is known for, which is quality, durability and safety."
LEGO incorporate product safety into every stage of their manufacturing processes to produce the safest play materials of the highest quality for children.
You can find out more on the process of producing LEGO in the video below:
The logistics
This will be a major challenge for the LEGO Group as the bricks will have to work in line with the billions of LEGO bricks already being used around the world. LEGO has been using ABS since the 1960s to make its iconic, interlocking bricks. The colour also has to match, and more importantly, they have to remain clicked firmly together until pulled apart.
In recent years, LEGO officials have been working with external companies and experts on the sustainable materials research, for the bricks and packaging. LEGO has signed a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to assess the overall sustainability and environmental impact of the bio-based materials.
LEGO owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen called the investment
"a testament to our continued ambition to leave a positive impact on the planet, which future generations will inherit."
