HALF OF LEGOS TO BE RENEWABLE BY THE YEAR 2026

To make its well-known bricks more environmentally friendly, LEGO recently announced a bold new target for 2026: sourcing 50% of the plastic used in bricks from renewable sources. Being the most valuable toy brand globally, LEGO has the potential to encourage the use of more environmentally friendly materials and procedures. According to a press release from LEGO, "By doing this, the company hopes to help accelerate the industry's transition to more sustainable, high-quality materials." LEGO determines the percentage of its materials that come from sustainable sources by using a supply chain tracking technique known as mass balance. The percentage of fossil fuels used to produce its technicolour bricks has decreased from 88% in 2023 to roughly 78% at this time.

Approximately 90% of plastics produced globally in 2021 came from fossil fuels. To employ only recycled or renewable materials by 2032, LEGO has already tested over 600 different materials. Some of its current, greener suppliers replace plastic made from fossil fuels with recycled materials, food industry waste, and/or cooking oil. LEGO purchases these materials at a premium of up to 70%. The business views the industry's recent move toward 50% renewable content as a component of a broader environmental movement.

CEO Niels Christiansen states, "We sense more activity and willingness to invest in this now than we did just a year ago." By 2025, LEGO plans to increase its annual spending on sustainability initiatives threefold from $203 million in 2023 to $445 million.

In addition, LEGO wants to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, transition to entirely recyclable packaging, and grow its Replay program, which allows customers to send back used bricks for reuse (with free shipping) anywhere in the United States and Europe. In recent years, LEGO has also experimented with several greener prototype bricks, such as collections made from recycled plastic bottles and sugarcane.

Another well-known toy manufacturer, Mattel, announced in 2019 that by 2030, all of its plastics would be recyclable, bio-based, or recycled. Hasbro has also pledged to lessen its dependency on fossil fuels, and part of that commitment is a redesign of the recognisable Potato Head using only plant- or renewable-based materials.