Lego cancels initiative to produce bricks using recycled bottles

Toy company Lego has abandoned plans to produce its bricks from recycled bottles, dealing a blow to its carbon emissions reduction efforts. In 2021, Lego announced its aim to manufacture bricks without crude oil within two years. However, the company revealed on Monday that using the new material did not actually reduce carbon emissions. Despite this setback, Lego remains committed to producing bricks from sustainable materials. Currently, the majority of Lego bricks are made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), a virgin plastic derived from crude oil. Lego's decision is seen as a setback following its high-profile push for greater sustainability. The company, like others, has been exploring alternative materials to plastic as the importance of sustainability grows among customers. One challenge in this search has been finding a durable material that can last for generations. Lego had developed prototype bricks using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, but tests over two years revealed that using recycled PET did not decrease carbon emissions. As a result, Lego will not continue with producing bricks from this material. The company is currently testing and developing bricks made from various alternative sustainable materials. Niels Christiansen, CEO of Lego, stated that there is no "magic material" to address the company's sustainability challenges. Lego has affirmed its commitment to producing bricks from sustainable materials by 2032, with over $1.2 billion invested in sustainability initiatives by 2025 to reduce carbon emissions by 37% by 2032.