Danish toy company LEGO is an iconic brand, and has logged a considerable boost in consumer interest since the affects of COVID 19’s lockdowns. During this time, LEGO has shown repeatedly that their mindset is committed to sustainability. In this article we will explore several aspects of their approach and look at the impact it will take on the future of packaging.
Ditching the single use plastic bag
16th September 2020, LEGO announced that they will be swapping their single use plastic bags for recyclable ones. An encouraging step for such an large iconic brand, and one that leaves us hopeful that other similar companies will follow in their footsteps. This is part of an announced self stated ambition to ensure all of its packaging will be “sustainable by the end of 2025.” The recyclable FSC-certified recyclable paper bags are used to pack the loose bricks. It is durable, lightweight, and able to enhance the building experience. To develop this new material, they have tested several prototypes with hundreds of parents and children to ensure user experience is not hindered by the new design.
Using recycled plastic bottles
Although, not strictly packaging.. LEGOs commitment to sustainability also involves a prototype brick made from recycled plastic bottles. This transition is still in its early stages and LEGO expect it may be some time before we see them appear in their sold products. However, it’s great to see these changes in progress and demonstrates the impact of the combined will of consumers to change the future. “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” says LEGO groups Tim Brooks.
Looking to the future
LEGO’s plan for the future means making all of their packs recyclable or renewable by 2025. The sustainable materials team has said that they started to phase out single use plastic bags in their stores during 2019 and will continue to develop and refine them before being rolled out in full by 2025. Although, the process will be complicated, it will involve…
– introduction of new machines to make the new packs to produce millions of boxes a day across five factories around the world.
– phasing each change to ensure LEGO can continue to get LEGO to children around the world.
– continuing to explore other sustainable materials for use in the production of bricks
– Ensure bricks produced today will fit with those made over 60 years ago, while being durable and safe enough to be handled by children.
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