Lego wants to make its products more sustainable. A first building block made of recyclable plastic is ready. Now it has to be seen whether the block also passes the stress test.
The Danish toy manufacturer Lego has presented its first prototype for a building block made from recycled plastic.
The white block in 2×4 format looks like a conventional Lego brick, but is made of the plastic from discarded PET bottles. The building block giant from Billund, Denmark announced on Wednesday that it is the first brick made from recycled material that has met the strict quality and safety requirements of Lego. A one-liter PET plastic bottle provides an average of enough raw material for ten such stones.
Lego has long been committed to making its products more sustainable. The biggest challenge on this path is to develop new materials that are just as durable, strong and of high quality as the previous bricks and that also match the previous Lego products, explained Legos Vice President for Environmental Responsibility, Tim Brooks. According to the company, a team of more than 150 people is working to find the right solutions.
Before the new stone finds its way into the Lego boxes and thus into the children’s room, the prototype must first undergo a few tests. The next test phase is expected to last at least a year. “Even if it takes a while before children play with stones made from recycled plastic, they should already know that we are working on them,” says Brooks.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
