Danish toy manufacturer Lego has developed its first prototype for a block made of recycled plastic. The little white block comes in a 2 × 4 format and looks like a regular Lego brick, except it is made of plastic from discarded PET bottles rather than acrylonitrile butadiene styrene granules. The company said that the prototype is the first block made of recycled material to meet Lego’s stringent quality and safety requirements. It went on to say that an average one-litre PET plastic bottle provides enough base material for ten such blocks.
Lego has for a long time sought to produce its products more sustainably. Tim Brooks, Vice President of Environmental Responsibility at Lego, explained, “The biggest challenge on our sustainability journey is [developing] new materials that are as durable, strong and high quality as our existing bricks – and fit with [existing] LEGO elements.” The company said that it has filed a patent for the new mixture of materials. However, it also says that more tests are needed before the new block can find its way to market and into children’s rooms. “Even though it will be a while before they will be able to play with bricks made from recycled plastic, we want to let kids know we’re working on it,” Brooks continued.
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