Lego abandons effort to make oil-free bricks: Report
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Lego found that bricks made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate would lead to higher carbon emissions.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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COPENHAGEN – Danish toymaker Lego has abandoned an effort to ditch oil-based plastics from its bricks after finding that its new material led to higher carbon emissions, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.
The company found that bricks made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate would lead to higher carbon emissions.
Lego chief executive Niels Christiansen told FT: “In the early days, the belief was that it was easier to find this magic material or this new material (that would solve the sustainability issue, but) that doesn’t seem to be there. We tested hundreds and hundreds of materials. It’s just not been possible to find a material like that.”
Reuters was not able to independently verify the details of the FT report. Lego did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lego had earlier pledged to replace oil-based plastic bricks with ones made from sustainable materials by the end of the decade. The company kicked off efforts in 2020 to find a replacement.
The difficulty was to find a material that would be environmentally friendly but give the same colour, shine and sound of oil-based plastic bricks. REUTERS
