Lego set to phase out oil in its bricks

Iconic toymaker Lego will replace oil-based plastics used in their bricks with recycled and renewable plastics by 2032, Reuters and Financial Times reports.

Lego plans to gradually reduce the amount of oil-based plastic in the bricks with renewable resin. Lego’s resin suppliers are using bio-waste such as cooking oil or food industry waste fat as well as recycled materials to replace virgin fossil fuels in plastic production.

This greener resin is usually much more expensive than traditional “virgin plastic”, which the large majority of plastic products worldwide are made from. According to Lego’s calculations, it will cost them 70 percent more to make the toys with renewable resin. But the company says they have no plans to push the costs onto their customers and rise their prices.

“This means a significant increase in the cost of producing a Lego brick,” said Lego CEO Niels Christiansen to Reuters. “With a family-owner committed to sustainability, it’s a privilege that we can pay extra for the raw materials without having to charge customers extra,” Christiansen said.

Other toy makers have also started to include more plant-based or recycled materials in some of their plastic toys. Toymaker Hasbro is one of those but they haven’t set any firm targets on plastic use. And toymaker Mattel plans to use only recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics in all products by 2030.