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In 2015 the LEGO Group announced its ambition to use 100% sustainable materials in both its bricks and packaging by 2030. Now, it has announced it’s aiming for 100% sustainable packaging by 2025.
Currently, the majority of LEGO packaging, by weight, is cardboard or paper-based which is recyclable, sustainably sourced and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
LEGO bricks are designed to be reused and handed down through generations, but not everyone keeps their LEGO boxes and other packaging.
As some of the LEGO packaging contains single-use disposable plastics, which today are not sustainable and, in some cases, can’t be recycled by consumers, the LEGO Group is taking measures to improve its packaging sustainability.
Tim Brooks, vice president of environmental responsibility at the LEGO Group, said that ‘By 2025, our aim is that no LEGO packaging parts have to end up in a landfill. Packaging will be made from renewable or recycled materials and will be easy for consumers to recycle.’
The LEGO Group has taken several steps to improve the sustainability of its packaging; in 2018 the company began using recycled plastic in packaging ‘blisters’ – the transparent plastic windows that allow consumers to have a sneak peek into some LEGO boxes.
This year, LEGO boxes in the US and Canada started to feature the How2Recycle® label promoting packaging recycling and providing US and Canadian consumers with clear guidance to responsibly recycle their LEGO packaging.
In 2017, plastic trays used in advent calendars were replaced with recyclable paper-pulp trays, saving up to 1 million plastic trays from going to the landfill.
Approximately 75% of cardboard used to make LEGO boxes comes from recycled material, and the average size of a LEGO box has been reduced by 14% over the past four years. This improves transport efficiency, saving on average over 3,000 truckloads and 7,000 tonnes of cardboard each year.
‘To support our company mission, we have a Planet Promise and we have pledged to play our part in protecting the planet for future generations. Using sustainable packaging is an important part of fulfilling that promise. By bringing forward our ambition or sustainable packaging, we are also acknowledging the need to find better packaging solutions sooner. We’ve made good progress in the past three years, and there is still work to do.’
TIM BROOKS
Vice president of environmental responsibility at the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group believes a new sustainable material must have an ever-lighter footprint than the material it replaces across key environmental and social impact areas such as fossil resource use, human rights and climate change.
The LEGO Group’s sustainable packaging ambition focuses on finding sustainable packaging alternatives that are renewable, efficient and recyclable.
100% of LEGO boxes, bags and special packaging are to be made from recycled or sustainably sourced bio-based materials, and the company has committed to the ongoing exploration of ways to optimise packaging, balancing consumer appeal with environmental action.
The packaging will be designed in a way that allows consumers to recycle in the company’s major markets.
The LEGO Group partners with the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) as part of efforts to reduce CO2 emissions in manufacturing and supply chain operations and promote global action on climate change.
Through investments in wind power, the energy used to make LEGO bricks is balanced by the production of renewable energy.
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