Refinitiv Newscasts - Bottles to bricks: Lego to use recycled plastic

Algoma Steel

23/06/2021 15:09

Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_hntb02yd&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2021:newsml_OVEIMN62Z_930&pageId=RefinitivNewscasts
Source: Reuters

Description: Lego says it has found a way to make its iconic bricks from
recycled plastic, and will start offering the green alternative in as little
as 18 months. Julian Satterthwaite reports.
Short Link: https://refini.tv/2TV1Isi

Video Transcript:

Lego has found a way to go green. The Danish toymaker says some of its iconic
bricks will soon be made from recycled plastic. And that is no small feat. The
firm currently uses about 100,000 tonnes of oil-based plastics each year. Tim
Brooks is Lego's Vice President of Environmental Responsibility. He says the
company felt pressure from consumers.

We want to be a responsible user of plastic. We understand the concern that
both children and adults have of plastic out there in the world and certainly
plastic in landfill or in the environment. And we believe that recycled
material is one of the best ways to address that.

The green bricks will be made from recycled drink bottles. A standard one
liter bottle will yield about 10 regular bricks. Getting the technology right
has proved challenging and expensive. Lego said last year it would spend $400
million stepping up efforts to use sustainable materials. There are still two
challenges to overcome with the new bricks.

What we're still working on is the fact that we want to be able, of course,
colour it into this bright green color from this grey. So this is a
conventional brick and this is a --- brick. So coloring and then some of the
clutches are what we still want to work on. Sometimes it can be a bit loose.

Lego expects the first bricks made from recycled plastic to hit the market in
18 to 24 months. Rival, Mattel, best known as the maker of Barbie dolls, says
it will make its toys from sustainable materials from 2030