Lego Ends Plans to Make Bricks from Recycled Plastic Bottles

After years of testing, Lego announced that it would be dropping its plans to make its popular bricks from recycled plastic bottles.

Lego’s announcement to drop the testing comes with an explanation that using recycled plastic bottles caused more pollution in the manufacturing process than the current production of oil-based bricks.

The first prototype for a Lego brick made with PET materials was unveiled two years ago when Lego made a commitment to use only sustainable materials in its products by 2032.

However, since that announcement and prototype unveiling, Lego found that making its bricks from recycled materials would require investing in new equipment and more steps, ultimately leading to more planet heating pollution.

“We have decided not to progress making bricks from recycled PET after more than three years of testing as we found the material didn’t reduce carbon emissions,” the Lego spokesperson said.

Lego also found in its testing that recycled plastic wasn’t as durable and safe as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material. PET bricks were missing the “clutch power” which allows Lego bricks to stick together and be pulled apart easily.

After this testing, Lego is still committed to making oil-free bricks and finding a way to make Lego bricks from sustainable material by 2032.

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