LEGO Investing $150M To Find Sustainable Alternatives

LEGO, the world’s largest toy manufacturer, wants to replace plastic in their products with “sustainable material.” The family-owned company is investing $150 million to find sustainable alternatives to the current raw materials they use in making their famous toy construction bricks.

By 2030, with headquarters in Billund, Denmark, LEGO plans to rid itself from using petrochemical-based plastics — the main material used in making LEGO bricks.

LEGO’s 15-year mission also includes replacing terpolymer acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), another raw material used in manufacturing the 6,000 tons of LEGO blocks the company produces each year.

Instead of using ABS and petrochemicals, LEGO is going to try using bio-based plastics.

LEGO produced more than 60 billion LEGO pieces in 2014. The company plans to spend close to $1 billion to hire 100 specialists to find alternatives to using ABS and petrochemical materials, reports Time.

In their quest to find sustainable alternatives, LEGO formed a new group called LEGO Sustainable Materials Centre.

In a June press release, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO and President of the LEGO Group, said the following about their new mission.

“This is a major step for the LEGO Group on our way towards achieving our 2030 ambition on sustainable materials. We have already taken important steps to reduce our carbon footprint and leave a positive impact on the planet by reducing the packaging size, by introducing FSC certified packaging and through our investment in an offshore wind farm. Now we are accelerating our focus on materials.”

According to LEGO, the new centre will be based at the LEGO Group’s headquarters in Billund, Denmark. Employees will be working on finding alternative material the company can use in making their products.

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansenm, owner of the LEGO Group, commented on the announcement.

“Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. We believe that our main contribution to this is through the creative play experiences we provide to children. The investment announced is a testament to our continued ambition to leave a positive impact on the planet, which future generations will inherit. It is certainly in line with the mission of the LEGO Group and in line with the motto of my grandfather and founder of the LEGO Group, Ole Kirk Kristiansen: Only the best is good enough.”

Jørgen Vig Knudstorp added more about LEGO’s commitment.

“What we announce today is a long-term investment and a dedication to ensuring the continued research and development of new materials that will enable us to continue to deliver great, high quality creative play experiences in the future, while caring for the environment and future generations. It is a daunting and exciting challenge.”

[Featured image via Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]