Lego made the first bricks out of recycled plastic

The Danish company has used Pet plastic, and after experimenting with the use of 250 variant additives to improve its characteristics, it reveals the first results

The prototype of new Lego bricks just printed from recycled Pet plastic (photo press office) A prototype of a white brick obtained from a production process that uses recycled PET plastic: it was developed by Lego, as a new step towards greater sustainability of its toys. The experimental version obtained so far is the result of three years of tests, carried out with 250 variants of materials, in particular additives to ensure greater strength to the components. The new type must satisfy the same physical properties of resistance and durability for solid grafts guaranteed by the famous blocks today made mostly with ABS plastic. Each one liter PET plastic bottle provides on average material for ten “4 by 2” bricks.

Far from being a complete trial, the next test phase will still require a year of work. After testing the physical properties and printing the first models, the research focuses on the best pigments to use to color them, in an equally sustainable way. The pilot lines for production will then be able to start. The first bricks recycled from PET plastic could therefore hit the shelves in two years, according to the Guardian. “The biggest challenge in our journey through sustainability is to rethink and innovate new materials that are durable, strong and of high quality like the ones that already exist, fit with the Lego elements made in the last 60 years. With this prototype we can demonstrate the progress made, ”explains Tim Brooks, group vice president of environmental responsibility.

Lego has committed $ 400 million over three years to 2022 to improve its sustainability and over 150 people are working on this goal, including materials scientists and engineers. However, it is not the first initiative in this sense: the Danish company has already announced its intention to remove single-use plastic from boxes. Furthermore, since 2018, the flexible parts of the buildings are made of bio-polyethylene made from sustainably grown sugar cane. "Experimenting and making mistakes are an important part of learning and innovation. Just as children build, disassemble and rebuild with Lego bricks at home, we do the same in our workshops ", concludes Brooks.


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Topics

Environment Kids games Lego Plastic globalData.fldTopic = "Environment , Children, Games, Lego, Plastic "

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