On the road to eco-friendly bricks

On the road to eco-friendly bricks

30 July 2021 Off By Facto Edizioni

/ The latest step in LEGO journey to make products from sustainable materials is a prototype brick made from recycled PET plastic /

The Lego Group has recently created its first prototype brick using recycled PET plastic from discarded bottles, the first brick made from a recycled material. Over the past 3 years, materials scientists and engineers in Lego lab tested over 250 variations of PET materials and hundreds of other plastic formulations. The result is a patent-pending material that increases the strength and durability of the recycled plastic, thus meeting several of the company’s quality, safety and play requirements.

“We are super excited about this breakthrough,” said Tim Brooks, Vice President of Environmental Responsibility at the Lego Group: “The biggest challenge on our sustainability journey is rethinking and innovating new materials that are as durable, strong and high quality as our existing bricks – and fit with Lego elements made over the past 60 years. With this prototype we’re able to showcase the progress we’re making.”

The prototype is made from recycled PET sourced from suppliers in the United States that use US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approved processes to ensure quality. On average, a one-litre plastic PET bottle provides enough raw material for ten 2 x 4 Lego bricks.

The testing phase of the brand new prototype brick is far from complete, and it is expected to take at least a year. Among other things, the company needs to find how the material can be colored.

Once all necessary tests check out, Lego will assess whether to move to the pilot production…

Continue reading Games & Parks Industry July/August 2021, page 8

Photos Courtesy: LEGO

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