The LEGO Group revealed today through a statement a prototype brick made from recycled plastic. This is the Danish company’s most recent step in making products from sustainable materials. The news arrived after LEGO announced in September 2020 that the would invest up to $400 millions in three years to accelerate their initiatives in sustainability and social responsibility.
The prototype, which uses polyethylene terephthalate –better known as the PET plastic used in water bottles– is the first brick made of a recycled material that complies with the company’s strict safety and quality requirements.
A team of more than 150 people work on this initiative to find sustainable solutions for LEGO products. During the past three years, engineers and material scientists have tested over 250 variants of PET plastic, among others. The result has been this prototype, that has proven strong enough to be great to play with, specially because of its grip.
Tim Brooks, Vicepresident from LEGO’s Environmental Responsibility, expressed: “We are super excited about this achievement. The biggest challenge in our journey of sustainability has been to rethink and innovate with new materials that would be as durable, strong and of good quality as our existing bricks –and compatible with LEGO elements made during the past 60 years. With this prototype, we can show the progress we have made so far”.
This prototype is made out of PET recycled from US suppliers that use both the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) quality processes. Approximately, from a PET plastic bottle of one liter (33.814 ounces), you can get enough raw matter to create ten LEGO bricks of 2 x 4, the signature rectangular piece you probably think about when you hear the word ‘LEGO’.
Besides these recent efforts, LEGO had already shown in 2018 another one of their ecological experiments with set 40320, Plants from Plants, produced with sugarcane, and before that, they reduced the size of their cardboard boxes in 2011. They also use materials from sustainable forests for their boxes, which ensure that each tree used will be reforested to avoid hurting the environment.
Way to go, LEGO! Let’s hope more companies also put some effort in protecting our home planet.