LEGO has long been considered one of the best toys for children. Now, with a prototype brick made entirely from recycled materials, they are trying to ensure these children actually have a future.
LEGO has solid reputation for making products that help children develop their creativity and problem solving skills. The manufacturer of everyone’s favourite coloured bricks have done fantastically well to remain as relevant today as they were when they were founded in 1932.
Endless tie-ins with established works of fiction, ranging from Star Wars to Batman, have ensured that no one has forgotten about LEGO. I mean hell, the company have somehow even managed to be at the centre of a highly successful franchise of Hollywood films and video games.
Nonetheless, the world that LEGO is a part of is changing. Despite many of us yearning for time when technology didn’t rule our lives, the reality is that all humans face a changing environment where we can’t simply continue with business as usual.
Which, considering LEGO’S focus on creative problem solving, as well as building, places them in a unique position to help craft a better future. Therefore, in a move that should shock no one, LEGO has announced they have finished a prototype brick that is produced entirely of recycled plastic.
This brick is made of PET plastics and, despite promising signs, will likely need at least another year in the development and testing phase.
Although, if I’m honest, I find it disappointing that this concept hasn’t been turned into a reality many years ago. Poor waste management, dwindling resources, environmental destruction, and climate change have been worldwide issues for decades, and surely LEGO haven’t only started thinking about using recyclable materials now.
LEGO’s Vice President of Environmental Responsibility, Tim Brooks, had the following to say about the situation:
“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. Experimentation and failing is an important part of learning and innovation.”
“Just as kids build, unbuild and rebuild with LEGO bricks at home, we’re doing the same in our lab.”
Which is all fine and good, but even mega-polluter Coca-Cola have been using recycled plastics in 85% of their product’s packaging since 2018.
Considering how long LEGO have been making these same products, and how “durable” they explain the products need to remain, perhaps a more elegant solution would be to stop creating new LEGO altogether, instead focusing on making use of what must be an abundance of rarely-used existing product.
Still, better late than never. Check out the official LEGO announcement here.
