Image courtesy of Lego Group
Denmark-based toy producer the Lego Group says it is now making the miniature-scale tires that come with some of its assembly kits using more than one-third recycled materials sourced from end-of-life fishing fleet nets and ropes and spent engine oil.
The company, which produces some 300 million such small-scale wheels each year, says the new tires already are included in some Lego sets, with a full transition planned for later this year.
The tires or wheels found in Lego sets are made from a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene blend (SEBS) and other components, with the new recycled-content compound known as rSEBS.
The rSEBS initially will be used in seven Lego tire pieces, each containing at least 30 percent recycled content, according to the firm, and will be “indistinguishable from existing tires fans know and love.”
“This is an exciting step in our ambition to make Lego products more sustainable and reduce our dependence on virgin fossil fuels,” says Lego chief sustainability officer Annette Stube.
“Over the past five years, we have invested significant time in developing and testing this new recycled material to ensure it meets our high standards for quality, safety and durability,” adds Stube. “The tires are just one of many options we’re working on to make our products more sustainable and it’s encouraging to see something this innovative making it into our sets.”
The global firm says there is no single solution to the challenges of sustainability, which is why it says it is exploring a range of solutions to reduce its environmental footprint and make its products from renewable and recycled materials.
In addition to rSEBS, the company is using what it calls recycled artificial marble (arMABS) in transparent Lego elements, such as toy vehicle windshields. The 20 percent recycled-content material is derived from discarded artificial marble, commonly used in kitchen countertops, and soon will be found in more than 85 percent of Lego boxed sets, the company estimates.
Lego also has programs designed to incorporate a bio-polyethylene material and a methanol energy product made from bio-waste-fueled renewable energy.
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