LEGO Going Green
The massive Danish toy company, Lego, Has acquired a US solar power builder, in the companies pledge to sustainability. Although the company has a ways to go with their pledge the progress they’ve made is remarkable. I 2017 the company had announced it works on 100% renewable energy, meeting its goal three years ahead of schedule, and installed solar power on its own property.
Although the main question is, what about their use of plastic?
People all around the world have tons and tons of tiny Lego plastic bricks, collected maybe throughout generations. The New York Times reported the company emits around 1 million tons of CO2 each year, which is primarily from the raw material in the factories. There would be almost no way around it seeing the company is entirely dependent on these materials. LEGO could but all the solar and sustainable projects they would like, but it would not balance their contributions to environmental toxicity and waste.
Their Solution:
Last year the company introduced a new type of sustainable piece, using polyethylene, which comes from sugar canes. And the company has made another commitment to using renewable and sustainable resources, like bio plastics, by 2030 for all of its products. The one dilemma with the 2030 commitment is the struggle to finding a replacement for their classic block. The sugar cane blocks are usable, but are too soft to be used as standard building blocks, but nevertheless the company persists. The company’s efforts are an important step in the directions of sustainability in major corporations. Companies have a responsibility to view their own impact on the environment, regardless of the difficulty.
