LEGOs Will Soon be Made of Sustainable MaterialsLEGOs Will Soon be Made of Sustainable Materials

Denmark-based Lego Group says it's going to invest 1 billion Danish kroners -- that's US $146,800,000 -- in the Lego Sustainable Materials Center. Considering how many plastic LEGO bricks are made each year -- more than 60 billion in 2014 alone -- that doesn't seem like a lot to spend on the project.

Plastics Today reports the company has already reduced its carbon footprint through several means: making its package size smaller and introducing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified packaging, as well as investing in offshore wind farms. Now it's turning its focus toward better materials.

The Lego Sustainable Materials Center will based at Lego Group's headquarters and will focus on developing new, sustainable raw materials to manufacture Lego elements and packaging.

MORE FROM DESIGN NEWS: 6 New Bio-based & Renewable Plastics

We've been telling you about designing with more sustainable plastics and other materials for years. Sometimes these materials are bio-based, and sometimes they're made of various types of waste products or recycled materials. A few leading OEMs like Ford Motor Company have ongoing major R&D programs for discovering and inventing new sources of more eco-friendly materials, like the tomato-based plastic it's tested with Heinz.

The Lego Sustainable Materials Center is expected to open in the next two years and the company is looking to recuit more than 100 materials specialists to work on various projects.

Lego gets serious about using more sustainable materials | Plastics Today

Ann R. Thryft is senior technology editor, materials & assembly, for Design News. She's been writing about manufacturing- and electronics-related technologies for 25 years, covering manufacturing materials & processes, alternative energy, machine vision, and all kinds of communications.