Lego makes push for net zero as they replace oil in their bricks with renewable plastic
The Lego campus in Billund
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Toymaker Lego said it was on track to replace the fossil fuels used in making its signature bricks with more expensive renewable and recycled plastic by 2032.
The Danish toymaker has signed deals with producers to secure long-term supply to replace the oil-based brick currently used.
Lego, which sells billions of plastic bricks annually, has tested over 600 different materials to develop a new material that would completely replace its oil-based brick by 2030, but with limited success.
Now, the company is aiming to gradually bring down the oil content in its bricks by paying up to 70 per cent more for certified renewable resin, the raw plastic used to manufacture the bricks.
The Lego campus in Billund
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CEO Niels Christiansen said it was an attempt to encourage manufacturers to boost production, adding the company is on track to ensure that more than half of the resin it needs in 2026 is certified according to the mass balance method.
The method is auditable way to trace sustainable materials through the supply chain, up from 30 per cent in the first half of 2024.
He told reporters: "This means a significant increase in the cost of producing a Lego brick.
"With a family-owner committed to sustainability, it's a privilege that we can pay extra for the raw materials without having to charge customers extra."
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Lego CEO Niels Christiansen said it was an attempt to encourage manufacturers to boost production
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It comes amid a surplus of cheap virgin plastic, driven by major oil companies' investments in petrochemicals. Plastics are projected to drive new oil demand in the next few decades.
Lego's suppliers are using bio-waste such as cooking oil or food industry waste fat as well as recycled materials to replace virgin fossil fuels in plastic production.
The market for recycled or renewable plastic is still in its infancy, partly because most available feedstock is used for subsidised biodiesel, which is mixed into transportation fuels. According to Neste, the world's largest producer of renewable feedstocks, fossil-based plastic is about half or a third of the price of sustainable options.
Christiansen added: "We sense more activity and willingness to invest in this now than we did just a year ago."
The Danish toymaker sells billions of plastic bricks annually
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Rival toymaker Hasbro has started including plant-based or recycled materials in some toys, but without setting firm targets on plastic use.
Meanwhile, Mattel plans to use only recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics in all products by 2030.
Around 90 per cent of all plastic is made from virgin fossil fuels, according to lobby group PlasticsEurope.