In an effort to make its products more sustainable, The LEGO Group is increasing spending on sustainable efforts and continuing to search for green, alternative materials.
The LEGO Group strives to make products from renewable and recycled materials by 2032, and to do so, last year the company increased spending on environmental initiatives by 60% compared to 2022. By 2025, The LEGO Group plans to double the annual spend on environmental initiatives compared to 2023.
In addition, the company is continuing search efforts to find renewable and recycled materials that create durable, long-lasting, safe LEGO bricks and reduce its carbon footprint. To date, the company has tested more than 600 materials for its products. While some successes like bio-PE are used in botanical elements and Minifigure accessories, The LEGO Group is still testing different materials.
One recent success is the introduction of a material titled arMABS, which is produced using recycled artificial marble. This year, it will be used in more than 500 different LEGO elements, including transparent elements like windows. It will be found in around 60% of sets.
The LEGO Group is also working on the development of the material ePOM, that uses technology to mix renewable energy and CO2 from bio-waste. The company hopes to introduce this soon and use it for select elements like wheel axles.
The company aims to play a role in driving industry change; currently, the market for high-quality sustainable plastic is still growing, so the amount of raw materials needed is not available. To change this, The LEGO Group strives to increase its use of material that has been certified according to mass balance principles, which is resin made from a mix of certified renewable or recycled raw materials. This can be used in the existing LEGO manufacturing process without compromising on safety or quality.
Last year, 18% of resin purchased was certified, which is an average of 12% renewable sources — The LEGO Group plans to increase this percentage this year.
To learn more about The LEGO Group’s approach to sustainability, visit lego.com.
