Danish toy giant, Lego, has announced the company is looking at using recycled plastic to manufacture its famous colourful toy building blocks.
“We still have many tests to do on our recycled PET plastic prototype LEGO brick,” says Tim Brooks, Lego vice president of Environmental Responsibility.
“We need to work on how to colour the bricks and look at the different shapes the recycled PET plastic material can be moulded into.
“For now, the material is showing good promise in our testing, but we plan on refining the prototype design and material for at least another year before we assess whether we can move into pilot production.
“The modified recycled PET material is currently showing good potential as a replacement for ABS pending further testing, which is just one of about 20 different materials we use in our products.”
A team of 150 engineers and scientists have been working for the past three years to find a suitable alternative that is non-toxic and durable enough to make the blocks.
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Brooks added: "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 or existing bricks, and fit with lego elements made over the past 50 years...
“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."
Like many other Danish companies, Lego has always placed huge importance on working toward a business that is sustainable and environmentally friendly, so much so that the company has implemented numerous initiatives to assist in reaching its goals of sustainability.
According to the company, a sustainable material must be responsibly produced, using renewable or recycled resources, generating little or no waste, use sustainable chemistry and be fully recyclable at the end of its life, “while meeting our high standards for safety, quality and durability”.