Lego has halted its project to produce bricks from recycled bottles, citing that the new material would cause even greater carbon emissions, reported the London business newspaper The Financial Times (FT).
The Danish company announced in 2021 that it was exploring whether it could produce bricks from PET plastic (polyethylene terephthalate), the quality of which does not diminish through recycling.
Recycled plastic was intended to replace oil-based acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
Research has shown that PET plastic would lead to higher carbon emissions by the end of the product’s lifespan as it would require new equipment, they highlighted to FT.
PET plastic needs to have additives to be safe and durable, as well as large amounts of energy for processing and drying, explained Tim Brooks, head of Lego Group’s sustainability department.
– You can compare it to trying to make a bicycle out of wood instead of steel – added Brooks.
CEO Niels Christiansen told the Financial Times that he hopes to discover a “magic material” that will solve sustainability issues.
– We have tested hundreds and hundreds of materials, but we simply haven’t found it – emphasized Christiansen.
The company will focus on improving the carbon footprint of ABS, they stated.
