Wasted plastic materials stick around in the environment for many many years so the environmental damage is long-lasting. It threatens wildlife and spreads toxins. Burning plastics in incinerators also releases climate-wrecking gases and toxic air pollution that causes harm to humans, animals and plants. Microplastics entering the human body can lead to a large amount of health impacts. Millions of animals are killed by plastics every year, from birds to fish to other marine organisms.
LEGO is best known for the manufacture of Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The new prototype LEGO piece, which uses PET plastic from discarded bottles, is the first brick made from a recycled material to meet LEGO’s strict quality and safety requirements. It is made from recycled PET sourced from suppliers in the United States that use US FDA and European Food Safety Authority approved processes to ensure quality. It will be some time before bricks made from a recycled material appear in LEGO product boxes. The team will continue testing and developing the PET formulation and then assess whether to move to the pilot production phase.
The LEGO Group’s focus on sustainable material innovation is just one of several different initiatives the company has in place to make a positive impact. The LEGO Group will invest up to US $400 million over three years to 2022 to accelerate its sustainability ambitions. With this, LEGO is helping the world to reduce plastics and reuse them.
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