LEGO DITCHES PLAN TO MAKE BRICKS FROM RECYCLED BOTTLES

In a bid to produce bricks not containing crude oil by 2023, toy maker Lego has announced that it has scrapped that plan.

The decision was made after it found that using new material didn’t reduce carbon emissions.

Although the Danish toy giant has decided against its plan, it said in a statement that it remains fully committed to making bricks from sustainable materials.

Lego is known for manufacturing bricks that last generations and one of its main concerns for not making bricks from recycled bottles is that it won’t be as durable and live up to its brand’s promise.

The BBC reports that in 2021, (Lego) had said it had developed prototype bricks made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, with some other chemicals added. After more than two years of testing, it had found that using recycled PET didn’t reduce carbon emissions.

Lego has added that although it won’t continue with the PET testing, the company is currently testing and developing bricks made from “a range of alternative sustainable materials”.

“We tested hundreds and hundreds of materials. It’s just not been possible to find a material like that.”

A spokesperson for the company told the BBC that they “remain fully committed to making Lego bricks from sustainable materials by 2023”.

Image credit: Pilot Brick