Recently, Lego, the plastic toy giant from Denmark, has released the first toy puzzle pieces made from recycled plastic bottles and revealed that they hope to put these pieces into new toys. new collection within the next two years.
Lego produces billions of toy pieces every year, most of them made from a type of plastic called ABS that is high quality and durable and can be reused.
But now the prototype 4×2 Lego bricks have been made from PET plastic from discarded bottles with additives to provide high durability. This is the result of 3 years of testing with 250 different materials. On average, each 1 liter plastic bottle used is recycled into the material for 10 4×2 Lego bricks.
This process will be tested and further developed before moving to production. Lego says it has invested up to $400 million over three years developing this new test.
Tim Brooks, Lego Group’s vice president of environment, says the biggest challenge is “rethinking and innovating with new materials that are more durable, strong and of higher quality than our previous pieces, while maintaining the quality that Lego has created over the past 60 years.”
“We are committed to playing our part in building a sustainable future for generations of children. We want our products to have a positive impact on the earth, not just by the way we play, but by the toys we make. There is still a long way to go but we are satisfied with what has been achieved,” added Mr. Tim.
Environmental activists welcome Lego’s use of recycled plastic, but say it is not the “default solution” to the plastic crisis.
Camilla Zerr, environmental activist at Friends of the Earth, said: “Children deserve to grow up in a pollution-free environment so the initiative to make recycled plastic toys is very promising and should be developed. develop. But what is really important is that recycling is not seen as the default solution in the plastic crisis. Manufacturers must ensure toys are made to last for many years of use, so that they can be reused from generation to generation.”
Ms. Camilla stressed that the Government should “take stronger steps” by making legislation on plastic pollution in the environmental protection law.
Rival Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls, says they will also make toys from recycled materials from 2030.
Source: Zingnews.vn