Today LEGO announced a new type of brick: One made from recycled plastic. It has been made out of discarded PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles, and it’s a product of three years’ work from over 150 materials scientists and engineers, resulting in more than 250 variations.
The LEGO Group has been creating sustainable bricks since 2018 using sugarcane, starting with the plant parts and aiming to turn all bricks sustainable by 2030. Even though it will be some time for these recycled plastic bricks to be appearing in actual sets, Tim Brooks, Vice President of Environmental Responsibility at LEGO, said “We know kids care about the environment and want us to make our products more sustainable. […] We want to let kids know we’re working on it and bring them along on the journey with us.”
At the moment, a one-litre PET bottle produces enough raw material to create ten 2 x 4 bricks.
The estimated testing of the new recycled bricks is expected to run for at least a year. The team will try to create a formula that will increase the durability of the PET plastic to be as strong as the ABS LEGO bricks.
Here’s the official press release from LEGO:
The LEGO Group reveals first prototype LEGO® brick made from recycled plastic
The LEGO Group today unveiled a prototype LEGO® brick made from recycled plastic, the latest step in its journey to make LEGO products from sustainable materials.
The new prototype, which uses PET plastic from discarded bottles, is the first brick made from a recycled material to meet the company’s strict quality and safety requirements.
A team of more than 150 people are working to find sustainable solutions for LEGO products. Over the past three years, materials scientists and engineers tested over 250 variations of PET materials and hundreds of other plastic formulations. The result is a prototype that meets several of their quality, safety, and play requirements – including clutch power.
Vice President of Environmental Responsibility at the LEGO Group, Tim Brooks said: “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 our existing bricks – and fit with LEGO elements made over the past 60 years. With this prototype, we’re able to showcase the progress we’re making.”
Uncompromised quality and safety
It will be some time before bricks made from a recycled material appear in LEGO product boxes. The team will continue testing and developing the PET formulation and then assess whether to move to the pilot production phase. This next phase of testing is expected to take at least a year.
Brooks said: “We know kids care about the environment and want us to make our products more sustainable. Even though it will be a while before they will be able to play with bricks made from recycled plastic, we want to let kids know we’re working on it and bring them along on the journey with us. Experimentation and failing is an important part of learning and innovation. Just as kids build, unbuild and rebuild with LEGO bricks at home, we’re doing the same in our lab.”
The prototype is made from recycled PET sourced from suppliers in the United States that use US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved processes to ensure quality. On average, a one-litre plastic PET bottle provides enough raw material for ten 2 x 4 LEGO bricks.
Journey towards more sustainable products
The patent-pending material formulation increases the durability of PET to make it strong enough for LEGO bricks. The innovative process uses a bespoke compounding technology to combine the recycled PET with strengthening additives.
The recycled prototype brick is the latest development in making the LEGO Group’s products more sustainable. In 2020, the company announced it will begin removing single-use plastic from its boxes. In 2018, it began producing elements from bio-polyethylene (bio-PE), made from sustainably sourced sugarcane. Many LEGO sets contain elements made from bio-PE which is perfect for making smaller, softer pieces such as trees, branches, leaves, and accessories for minifigures. Bio-PE is not currently suitable for making harder, stronger elements such as the iconic LEGO bricks.
Brooks said: “We’re committed to playing our part in building a sustainable future for generations of children. 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. We still have a long way to go on our journey but are pleased with the progress we’re making.”
The LEGO Group’s focus on sustainable material innovation is just one of several different initiatives the company has in place to make a positive impact. The LEGO Group will invest up to US $400 million over three years to 2022 to accelerate its sustainability ambitions. For more information on how the LEGO Group wants to rebuild the world for the better, visit: LEGO.com/Sustainability
The question is whether the secret sauce is sustainable too. But even if it is not, at least the bottles have a new home.
If I could turn every plastic bottle I’ve ever emptied into ten 2×4 bricks… wow. Man. Incredible.
I’ll wait to see them in person. I noticed on newer sets (compared to bricks from the 70s and 80s) that the color is a bit translucent. For me especially noticable on green and gray bricks, the edges just have a slight glow about them that’s a bit annoying. I’m sure it’s not new, but it makes me fear for any messing about with the plastic makeup.
Does anyone else remember the debacle of the brown plates that came out during the Kingdoms Castle Series? The plastic was so brittle that they snapped on disassembly.
I am hoping that these bricks made from the recycled plastic will have as long of a life as the bricks I STILL have from when I was a kid in the 80’s.
Let’s hope these white bricks don’t turn yellow like the regular ones
Hmm, recycling PET bottles is already how I sustain my daily food budget. I’m cautiously optimistic…