Despite the world’s increasing aversion towards plastic these days because of its harmful impact on the environment, Danish toymaker Lego, famous for its multi-colored plastic building bricks, remains a raging success. Even so, the company has recently vowed to make all of its iconic bricks 100 percent sustainable by 2030.
The plan is not to abandon plastic, but rather to improve the materials it uses, which poses a technical challenge, as Lego wants to ensure that the new pieces have the same physical properties as the old ones: strength, colorfastness and sticking power, in order to remain compatible with older pieces.
Lego encourages customers to hand down their bricks to younger generations. The company estimates that 96 percent of consumers either hold on to their Lego kits or pass them on, stressing the distinction between Lego’s bricks and single-use plastics.
What’s more, as part of its broader sustainability strategy, Lego is also working to improve its packaging, reducing the amount of plastic bags separating pieces and slashing the size of its boxes to reduce transport volumes.
In 2014, the toy manufacturer vowed to reduce its carbon footprint, partnering with the environmental group WWF and has eventually managed to rely solely on renewable energy sources since 2017. Through its new pledge and its overall commitment to sustainability, Lego sets an exemplary model for other companies in the industry and beyond to look up to.
