Toymaker Lego is on track to replace the fossil fuels used to make its iconic building blocks with more expensive renewable and recycled plastic by 2032 after signing deals with manufacturers to ensure long-term supplies, reports Reuters.
Lego is aiming to gradually reduce the oil content of its toys by paying up to 70% more for certified renewable resin - the raw plastic used to make bricks - in a bid to encourage manufacturers to increase production.
"This means a significant increase in the cost of producing Lego bricks," CEO Nils Christiansen told Reuters.
He said the company is on track to ensure more than half the resin it needs in 2026 is certified under the mass balance method, an auditable way to trace sustainable materials through the supply chain, compared to 30% in the first half of 2024.
"With a family owner committed to sustainability, it's a privilege that we can pay extra for raw materials without having to charge customers extra," says Christiansen.
Use of biological waste
The move comes amid a glut of cheap clean plastic fueled by oil majors' investments in petrochemicals. Plastics are predicted to drive oil demand over the next few decades.
Lego suppliers use bio-waste such as cooking oil or waste fats from the food industry, as well as recycled materials to replace raw fossil fuels in plastic production.
The market for recycled or renewable plastics is still in its infancy, in part because most available feedstock is used for subsidized biodiesel, which is blended into transportation fuels.
According to Neste, the world's largest producer of renewable raw materials, fossil fuel-based plastics are about half or a third the cost of sustainable options.
Lego's rival toymaker Hasbro has begun incorporating plant-based or recycled materials into some toys, but without setting firm targets for plastic use. Mattel plans to use only recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics in all products by 2030.
About 90% of all plastic is made from primary fossil fuels, according to lobby group PlasticsEurope.