Plastics News’ Post

𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲? By 2026, Lego plans on switching 50% of its resin to sustainable materials. According to Niels Christiansen, the CEO of the company, this will be achieved by using renewable and recycled plastic instead of fossil fuels in ABS bricks. This shift will be more expensive, but the main challenge is the limited availability of recycled and renewable raw materials. To show its commitment towards sustainability, Lego is willing to pay 70% more to encourage suppliers to increase production of these sustainable materials. Similar to Lego, we are committed to helping you make the shift to more efficient use of materials for production by assisting you in re-integrating scrap material into your production process. Additionally, by offering a wide range of units for accurate dosing and blending, our customers are supported in achieving their sustainability goals while also reducing their expenses! Click on the link below to get to know more about Lego's sustainability approach! ⬇ 🔗 bit.ly/3TlBeMo #sustainable #innovation #movacolor

🛣️the LEGO Group's Net Zero Future: Stricter Carbon Reductions for Suppliers ⚙️ 🏭Lego, the world’s leading toy manufacturer, is taking bold steps toward #sustainability by mandating that its suppliers set emissions reduction targets by 2026 under the new #SupplierSustainabilityProgram. This initiative is crucial for Lego to cut its #CarbonFootprint by 37% by 2032 and achieve #NetZero by 2050. Key Initiatives and Progress: 👉Supplier Engagement: ♦️The program now involves 158 suppliers, emphasizing supply chain #EmissionReductions. ♦️Triple investment in #EnvironmentalSustainability, spending over $1.4 billion in the next three years. 👉Renewable Energy and Emissions Reduction: ♦️Increased #RenewableEnergy production and purchase across global sites. ♦️New factories in Vietnam and Virginia, USA, will feature solar facilities. ♦️A new solar park in Billund, Denmark, is set to be operational by 2027. 👉Business Decisions and Carbon Pricing: ♦️Implemented shadow #CarbonPricing on key investments. ♦️Established guidelines to reduce employee travel-related emissions.   👉Challenges and Industry Comparisons: ♦️The toy industry emits around 26 million metric tons of GHG annually. ♦️Lego's total footprint for 2022 was 1.6 million metric tons. ♦️Competitors like Hasbro and Mattel have also made significant environmental commitments. ✌️Team #UrjanovaC celebrates Lego’s efforts to highlight its leadership in sustainability within the toy industry, driving innovation, and setting a high standard for environmental responsibility. Together, we're building a #GreenerFuture, brick by brick! 

The story of how the LEGO Group came to be is an interesting one. If you ever wanted to learn about it with your kids, check out my Tuck classmate Lowey Bundy Sichol's book From an IDEA to... that covers LEGO. As much as I love LEGOs and what those blocks teach kids, I also cringe when I buy a set for my son. Namely, I think about all of the fossil fuels and plastics used to make the blocks. While LEGOs tend to have a strong secondary market and don't usually get wasted, you always wonder if there is a better way for the company to grow without killing the environment. It appears that LEGO has been thinking about this too. They have tested over 600 materials over the years as an alternative to fossil fuel blocks but with limited success. Did you know that ~90% of all plastic is made from virgin fossil fuels? After producing strong profits this year, the company announced they would pay significantly more to their suppliers to use renewable resin and reduce the oil used to make the bricks. https://lnkd.in/eEPEnGKi Lego aims to make all of its products from renewable and recycled materials by 2032. Despite a surplus of cheap virgin plastic, Lego’s suppliers are using bio-waste such as cooking oil or food industry waste fat as well as recycled materials to replace virgin fossil fuels in plastic production. Kudos to LEGO and its supply chain to move towards more sustainable production.

🔎 Plastics in everyday life: Revolutionary shift in toy production! At the forefront of eco-innovation, major toy manufacturers are embracing recycled and biobased plastics to create sustainable toys. Highlights from this year's German Toy Fair in Nuremberg reveal exciting advancements, with companies like PLAYMOBIL and the LEGO Group leading the transformation. 💡Playmobil's "Wiltopia" series, made from about 80% recycled materials, is educating children about sustainability right through play. Meanwhile, LEGO is pushing the boundaries by testing over 300 sustainable materials, aiming to fully transition by 2032. Beyond production, initiatives like Hasbro's recycling program, which won the "Play For Change Award," show a commitment to preventing toy waste from ending up in landfills. 👉 However, the responsibility does not only lie with the toy manufacturers! As consumers, we also play a crucial role. Opting for sustainable purchasing decisions, participating in toy recycling programs, and supporting second-hand markets are all ways to contribute to a circular economy. #circulareconomy #recyclingInitiatives #plasticsindustry #ktradefair #everydaylifeplastics

🙂 Progress! At my first ever toy fair (London Toy Fair 2019) I smiled and asked each of the 220 or so exhibitors what they had that was virgin-plastic-free 🤔 Only 20 had anything at all to show me, and 15 of those were made far away failing our second "made locally in Europe" criterion 😞 Leaving just 5 toy makers Jiminy Eco Toys could buy from 🥺 Spielwarenmesse in Nurnberg, the world's biggest toy fair, always had more eco toys especially wooden. But even there, virgin petro-plastic dominates. Of course it does - that's what 90% of toys are made from - emitting so much CO2 it's like deforesting 1 billion mature trees, or an area the size of Portugal ☠️😱 An industry that exists to make children happy should be protecting their planet and future, not the opposite! 🌈 So it's very encouraging to see the progress between 2019 and 2024. So many toy makers at least experimenting with safe recycled plastic and bioplastic 🤩😍🤩 One day "Sustainable" will just be normal for toys (and every industry). We exist to help bring that about 💪 Thank you Spielwarenmesse and in this video Marco Jahn for not just welcoming an activist like me, but also giving me opportunities to speak, curate, educate and inspire this industry to do better. 💚🌍👧🏽👶🌈 Read our Sustainable Toys Action Consulting (STAC) group (which includes Arco de Leeuw on stage here with me) 2024 Toy Sustainability Snapshot Report here: https://lnkd.in/eFFcPaUF #activistbusiness #ecotoys #sustainabletoys #greentoys

“With great power comes great responsibility.” Who said it? Last week, I talked about Starbuck’s Greener Stores. This week – the LEGO Group. Lego has entered a 9 year, $2.4M agreement with Climeworks, a carbon-removal company. “Their direct air capture and storage (DAC+S) solution permanently removes CO2 from the atmosphere and can play an important role in achieving net-zero carbon emissions.” This agreement will also help Climeworks scale. In addition to carbon reduction and removal initiatives, Lego is working on increasing its use of material that has been certified according to mass balance principles. In 2023, 18% of all resin purchased was certified; equivalent to ~12% average renewable sources. Three years ago, a prototype made from recycled PET plastic was released, but it’s hard to replicate the rigidity. The company says, 600 different materials have been tested! The goal is to have all Lego materials made from renewable and recycled materials by 2032 to build a “sustainable future for children.” Change doesn’t happen overnight, but incremental steps every day. This is great news and progress IMO. Do you think 8 years is enough grace? Should it be sooner? Are you happy that something is being done over nothing? #sustainability #retail

As consumers increasingly prioritise eco-friendly products, Lego’s investment in sustainability could strengthen brand loyalty and attract environmentally conscious customers, driving future sales even further. Over time, advancements in recycling and renewable technology may reduce the cost of these new materials, improving margins again in the long term. By committing to sustainability without raising prices, Lego could enhance its reputation and differentiate itself from competitors, potentially leading to increased market shares in the near future. While the short-term impact might be a hit to profits due to higher production costs, Lego's focus on sustainability could pay off through long-term growth and brand loyalty. #foodforthought

The #global #Sustainable #Toys #Market surged to USD 22,472.60 million in 2023, and it's projected to hit USD 51,894.44 million by 2030, boasting a 12.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (#CAGR). With over 60% of consumers #worldwide showing interest in eco-friendly purchases, the #trend towards sustainable #consumerism is unmistakable. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT:https://lnkd.in/gBnkmgdH The toy #industry is #dynamic, witnessing a constant stream of new products and designs. Innovations in materials, such as LEGO's adoption of sugarcane #plastic, highlight the industry's commitment to sustainability. LEGO's pledge to transition all products to #sugarcane based #materials by 2030 exemplifies the sector's dedication to eco-friendly practices. 1. Le Toy Van 2. Toyota of Manhattan 3. Clementoni 4. Tegus 5. Hape Holding AG #SustainableToys #EcoFriendlyPlay #GreenToys #EthicalPlaytime #SustainablePlay #EcoToys #ResponsibleToys #GreenKids #EcoFriendlyFun #SustainableChildhood #ConsciousToys #EnvironmentallyFriendlyToys #GreenPlay #EcoConsciousToys #SustainableKids #EthicalToys #PlanetFriendlyPlay #GreenChildhood #EcoPlaytime #SustainableFuture

Reflection of the week: Which is more sustainable for packaging design: recycling or minimizing waste creation? !!Finally: My favorite module from the Graphic Design Master at SHIFTA by ELISAVA. is finally here: Packaging Design. I love the ongoing debate in our forum about sustainability in packaging. The professor brought up two interesting examples: PUMA Group's clever little bag and Twig Teas packaging by Studio Thomas. I think that many companies aiming for true sustainability should consider whether their packaging encourages reuse. Our primary goal should be to minimize waste creation. While recycling is an option, it still requires energy and resources. Opting for brandless (or at least a little bit brandless) or neutral packaging designs can significantly increase the likelihood of reuse rather than disposal. #packagingdesign #graphicdesign #sustainable

The number of hours my kids have played with Legos...building up towers, smashing down towers, designing intricate houses (smashing those down too), finding legos in surprise places like my fridge! But then I look at our local resale platform with post after post of families selling bins and bins of legos (that's where we bought ours!) We could create our own lego distribution center. So my question: Is it enough that Lego is planning new materials and manufacturing to reduce plastics? The elephant in the room: Does the world need more and more Legos in circulation? Every child has a right to play. But as a parent, I've been thinking about how that "right" is evolving as the future of our planet faces uncertainty. Toy companies, like Lego, have a responsibility to think about that too. What a moment for wild innovation! In addition to reducing plastics, there are entirely new business models. Scaled resale but also moving beyond products to (paid) services that leverage Lego's reach into communities and schools. What a powerful household name to influence the future of play and a generation changemakers. How would you evolve Lego's business model? Read more via Trellis Group: https://lnkd.in/eFQ7S4Ys