After beforehand asserting that it could be pivoting to recycled plastic bottles to make bricks, Lego is now strolling again on that promise. The toy producer has given up on its plan to make use of recycled bottles, claiming that the plastic wasn’t sustainable sufficient.
As CBS Information reports, Lego mentioned that it “determined to not progress” with the bricks after it “discovered the fabric didn’t scale back carbon emissions,” quoting a press release from the corporate. Lego initially revealed in 2021 its first brick comprised of plastic bottles consisting of polyethylene terephthalate, or PET. Whereas recycling bottles into Lego bricks might need been a bust, the corporate is reportedly nonetheless taken with transitioning to different sustainable options. The corporate informed CBS Information that it was trying to make its bricks from sustainable supplies by 2032—no matter meaning.
“We consider that within the long-term this can encourage elevated manufacturing of extra sustainable uncooked supplies, comparable to recycled oils, and assist assist our transition to sustainable supplies,” Lego mentioned, as quoted by the outlet. The corporate additionally added that it was “at present testing and growing Lego bricks comprised of a variety of other sustainable supplies, together with different recycled plastics and plastics comprised of different sources comparable to e-methanol.”
Lego didn’t instantly return Gizmodo’s request for remark.
The recycled bricks had been made with plastic from U.S. suppliers accepted by the Meals and Drug Administration in addition to the European Meals Security Authority. By way of Lego’s manufacturing course of, a single one-liter bottle may produce ten 2×4 Lego bricks. The corporate examined round 250 variations of PET supplies earlier than deciding on the ultimate brick formulation.
Lego’s foray into sustainable bricks didn’t start in 2021, nevertheless. In 2018, the toy firm introduced that it had begun a production line using sugarcane. Whereas sugarcane is a extra sustainable possibility than plastic, which is created as a byproduct of sucking oil out of the bottom, the brand new bioplastic was softer and extra versatile than its counterpart. Because of this, Lego has solely been utilizing sugarcane plastic in its line of plant-shaped bricks.
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