DENMARK – The LEGO Group, a toy manufacturer, has revealed its blueprint to phase out single-use plastic employed in packaging its Lego boxes.
Introducing new paper-based bags, certified as recyclable in the European Union, United States, and Canada, commenced in Europe and Asia this year, slated for expansion into the Americas markets by 2024.
Tim Brooks, VP of Environmental Responsibility at the LEGO Group, underscored the significance of this shift: “The move to paper-based bags signifies a pivotal point in the LEGO Group’s journey towards sustainable materials.
“Eliminating single-use plastic from our products has been a pivotal goal, as this material sees limited recycling compared to paper-based bags.
“This commitment, initiated three years ago, confronted various technical hurdles in quest of a bag that wouldn’t compromise LEGO’s esteemed quality. It’s been a collective endeavor to reach this milestone, and we take pride in the burgeoning momentum of the paper-based bag rollout.”
The LEGO operations faced a considerable challenge in this transition. The task commenced in 2022, as designers and engineers collaborated to craft a bag aligning with LEGO’s stringent quality benchmarks, ensuring an exceptional building experience.
These pre-pack bags, pivotal in the LEGO building process, demanded durability during transit, as they package loose bricks and are imprinted with sequence numbers.
The paper’s resilience amid diverse manufacturing climates posed a hurdle, requiring a bag suitable for all LEGO factories, adapting to humidity variations.
The quest involved trials of nearly 70 different papers and formats. Finally, the team’s commendable effort materialized into production at factories spanning the Czech Republic, Hungary, and China.
Tim Brooks further added, “Over 350 LEGO colleagues rallied together to conquer this crucial challenge, achieving remarkable results.
“Balancing the building experience, product quality, engineering intricacies, and production hurdles alongside the urgency for sustainability hasn’t been simple. We’re eager to gauge our fans’ reactions upon receiving their inaugural paper-based pre-pack bag.”
The switch to sustainable packaging extends beyond bags. LEGO Retail Stores’ Pick & Build walls will now offer paper-based containers, replacing plastic cups with flat-pack, quick assembly cardboard boxes, optimizing storage and shipping.
The alterations also encompass recyclable cardboard boxes for LEGO® Minifigures collectibles, paving the way to save about 30 tons of single-use plastic annually, based on 2022 sales figures.
This initiative is part of the LEGO Group’s expanded commitment to environmental sustainability, with plans to invest over $1.4 billion in sustainability-related endeavors over the next three years.
The adoption of in-box paper-based bags and transitions in packaging for Pick a Brick and LEGO® Minifigures collectibles represents pivotal strides in their drive to diminish environmental impact.
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