Lego no longer planning to make toy bricks out of recycled plastic bottles
BOSTON - Lego is moving on from a plan to manufacture its bricks out of recycled plastic bottles but says it is still "fully committed" to making its iconic toy blocks from sustainable materials by 2032.
Back in 2021, Lego unveiled a prototype block made entirely out of polyethylene terephthalate from bottles that had been thrown away. A one-liter plastic PET bottle could provide enough raw material for 10 2x4 bricks. Lego said the PET blocks were the first recycled materials "to meet the company's strict quality and safety requirements."
However, a company spokesperson told WBZ-TV on Monday that Lego has "decided not to progress making bricks from recycled PET after more than two years of testing as we found the material didn't reduce carbon emissions." The production process required extra steps, which meant more energy, the company said.
"Recycled PET is one of hundreds of different sustainable materials we've tested," Lego said. "We are currently testing and developing LEGO bricks made from a range of alternative sustainable materials, including other recycled plastics and plastics made from alternative sources such as e-methanol."
The company said it will continue to use sustainable materials to make Lego parts like leaves, trees and other accessories found in about half of sets.
Lego is moving its North American headquarters from Connecticut to Boylston Street in Boston in 2025.