Hey everyone,

I came across an interesting article today about how Toys R Us is going to start selling "environmentally friendly" toys beginning on Earth Day later this month. The toys will be made of natural materials like wood and cotton.

So that got me thinking about this hobby of ours. I've been buying and receiving Lego sets for almost thirty years now. I've amassed quite a collection of little plastic bricks. Obviously Lego bricks are made of ABS plastic, and presumably are a petroleum-based product like most plastics. Just how environmentally unfriendly are Lego bricks? Are they recylable? As petroleum costs continue to increase, and available supplies continue to dwindle (if you belive the "peak oil" theory, that is), what will that do to the costs of Lego sets?

And most important ... how do I balance trying to be an informed, enviornmentally conscious consumer with being an avid Lego builder?? How do I reconcile those two, seemingly conflicting, impulses??

Just curious if anyone had any thoughts on the subject.

Thanks!

I'm not sure of the answers to your interesting questions, however, you could plant a couple of trees for every 10euro you spend on Lego and that might cover your a$$.

Well a lot of it plays into the validity of claims about man's catastrophic and lasting impact on the Earth...but that's a whole other argument I don't even wanna start...

But consider this...

As to recycling LEGOs, I've observed that LEGOs are a toy that tends to stick around in families and that gets passed down from parent to child quite regularly. In fact, inheriting LEGOs is sort of becoming a norm. It's a timeless toy that is very durable and has a very low probability of ending up in a landfill. Can you say the same about a Code Lyoko action figure or any of the overblown interactive electronic robots on the market today?

I think as a toy collector, LEGOs are some of the most green products you can buy ;-)

Here's LEGO's statement: http://www.lego.com/eng/info/default.asp?page=environment

The Environment

Ever since it was founded in 1932, the LEGO Group has focused on the environment in everything it does. In the LEGO Group we are environmentally conscious and see it as our coresponsibility to minimize the waste and energy used during the manufacturing process, avoiding materials which cause toxic substances and fumes, and are harmful for your child, our employees and the environment.

The LEGO Group will incorporate the global ISO 14001 certification, which are uniform environmental standards, in all of our activities, in all areas and at all levels of the Group.

LEGO Group Environment Policy 26 Kb

Environmental responsibility

The responsibility towards the environment is deeply rooted in the LEGO Group. Before we use new raw materials in our production, they are tested for their effect on the environment both inside and outside the company. We reuse the plastic material, and this result in less than 1 per cent of the total plastic material use ends up as waste. Furthermore, we ensure that none of our employees are exposed to toxic substances and fumes that can damage their health or safety.

We consider ourselves being environmental responsible. The motto of the founder of LEGO A/S, Ole Kirk Christiansen,”Only the best is good enough” is still our basic guideline. That is why we continuously seek to become better in the minimisation of environmental impacts.

As to recycling LEGOs, I've observed that LEGOs are a toy that tends to stick around in families and that gets passed down from parent to child quite regularly. In fact, inheriting LEGOs is sort of becoming a norm. It's a timeless toy that is very durable and has a very low probability of ending up in a landfill. Can you say the same about a Code Lyoko action figure or any of the overblown interactive electronic robots on the market today?

I think as a toy collector, LEGOs are some of the most green products you can buy ;-)

pretty much sums up my opinion as well, but i thing TLG could reduce box size and maybe smaller/less plastic bags or different types of bags.

The LEGO Group will incorporate the global ISO 14001 certification, which are uniform environmental standards, in all of our activities, in all areas and at all levels of the Group.

LEGO Group Environment Policy 26 Kb

Perhaps that is why the coloring on all my new bricks is not uniform and the generally quality is going down?

Steve

P.S. Earth first, we'll clear cut and strip mine the other planets later... :-P

pretty much sums up my opinion as well, but i thing TLG could reduce box size and maybe smaller/less plastic bags or different types of bags.

This would another thing to add to that list: Only printing 1 instruction booklet, and not multiples. It'll save a bit of both paper and ink and maybe better for the consumer too ;-) !

Well a lot of it plays into the validity of claims about man's catastrophic and lasting impact on the Earth...but that's a whole other argument I don't even wanna start...

But consider this...

As to recycling LEGOs, I've observed that LEGOs are a toy that tends to stick around in families and that gets passed down from parent to child quite regularly. In fact, inheriting LEGOs is sort of becoming a norm. It's a timeless toy that is very durable and has a very low probability of ending up in a landfill. Can you say the same about a Code Lyoko action figure or any of the overblown interactive electronic robots on the market today?

I think as a toy collector, LEGOs are some of the most green products you can buy ;-)

You're not thinking "big picture" enough. Best case scenario, a Lego brick gets handed down through a couple of generations. That might be 50-60 years, tops. However, regardless of whether anyone is still actively playing with it or not, that plastic brick is going to exist for thousands, maybe millions of years, before it's decomposed. Nothing currently exists in nature to break down plastic. It will take millions of years for an organism to evolve to do so.

Lego bricks are absolutely some of the longest-lasting toys on the market! I totally agree with you on that. But the "greenest?" No way.

Lego's are relatively unwaistful compared to other companies. if I was to become an activist, I would target companies that make the basically expendable toys, like things you get in happy meals, cheap few dollar toys. These waste more plastic than one can probably imagine, especially compared to Lego.

As for recycling, if all other toys end up in a landfill, I doubt Lego's would be recycled. Lego's are rarely thrown away - but I would look into what happens to all those garbage bound happy meal toys. *wacko*

I also want to say alot of places that say the are 'green', are ironically not. Like advertising earth day on a laminated, non-recyclable piece of paper, which states how green they are. How ironic is that? It gets worse, but I don't want to start some controversy.

is everyone turning into That moronic hippy al gore?!

This is quite the interesting topic...

In all honesty, I've never thought about it. That statement may sound bad, but most of the Lego I had as a youth, is still in my collection somewhere. If its not, it was sold to others who will (most likely) either keep it or re-sell to continue the circle.

Its not as if Lego product hasn't been thrown away, but think of the good that might come of it when disposed. Can you imagine the reef set-up created via thousands of bricks? A nesting spot for the tiniest of fish?! Could a literal Lego-brick house be created in parts of the world that would last through rain or sun or freezing? It may sound far-fetched, but who knows what may come...

As usual, I will declare my belief that the need to save the environment from Al Gore's scam to make you pay money for useless 'carbon credits' is total balderdash. Absolute poppycock. Complete hogwash.

OK, enough anti-global warming ranting and chiefly British 'cursing'. :-P

If TLC wants to help 'save the environment', it won't affect my purchases of their sets as long as they don't start making the boxes green. :-| So count me outta this topic; I've had my share of the global warming schpieel. *n*

Oh, btw, maig the liar is completely right in his naming of Gore. :-D

Edited April 3, 200816 yr by trooperdavinfelth

Well, the boxes aren't as much of a problem. I have a whole stack of broken-down LEGO boxes in my garage that I'll take to work and put into our cardboard recycling dumpster. If anything about LEGO is wasteful it's the baggies the parts come in...but, again, compared to packaging on other toys, the small amount of plastic in those bags is virtually nothing. And there are no evil, evil twist-ties either >:-(

I think what gets me is the "Earth-guilt". When you can't enjoy anything in life (especially LEGOs!) without having to feel bad about how that activity harms the environment, then man's technological advancement from smacking each other with sticks means nothing. I'm personally not worried. When Mother Nature finally gets fed up she'll shake us off like a bad case of fleas and the biosphere will totally renew itself in a millennium or two, a virtual eyeblink of geologic time. For all we've supposedly done to hurt the environment, it still pales in comparison to what one medium-sized stray asteroid could do...and has done.

But, again, that's debating the broader concept and not LEGO...not the battle I wanna wage

I hate how lego makes these enormous boxes that are only to look good on the shelf of the store.

Ynow I fit antroz and and jaller mahri(minus the sword) into one gali mata canister! :-|

is everyone turning into That moronic hippy al gore?!

I may not agree with Al's thoughts on global warming's causes, but he's by no means a moron *wacko*

And again, I am no hippy, but I am all for using earth's limited resources conservatively. Not because it harms the environment dramatically, but eventually we will run out. I don't think CO2 causes global warming (Let's not get into this topic and argue..) but I think we should still conserve gas, because yes, it is limited.

The more we save the merrier. And just, if you can, why not save? It's just irresponsible not to, it would seem. But many are so much more wasteful than they need to be, I am, by no means, some sort of activist. But I use common sense. Lights off if I'm not in the room. Fuel efficient cars (if not for the resources, it's for your wallet). And recycle, just because it's not hard.

Etc. Etc. It's just bad to waste.

If it comes down to the planet or my collection of ABS plastic bricks; I choose my bricks :-D .

Later.

Environmentalism is more than just buying "green" materials as it has been portrayed here where i live. A part of it is buy things that will last and that you will use more than once. I know that my kids, when i have them one day, will be playing with my Lego's and i don't feel bad that they are plastic because they will last and be used and used and used. even if there are not sets out that you like you can always MOC. the toys are open ended play and teach kids more than moive tie in action figure you know? where as the toy of the month that gets played with for maybe a few days and then thrown away i would feel bad about. could TLG do better about the boxes and the plastic bags? yeah but they are not that bad.

My guess is that the average EB member's Lego Collection contains less oil than than the average American uses in their car in a month. And I realize that we tend to have larger than average collections. So keep buying Lego sets, and move closer to your job. The cardboard boxes are recycleable too, assuming you don't save them (I don't). They are also likely made out of some recycled material, though I haven't bought one in a while to check for that. Lego Bricks are far more 'green' than the latest electronic do-dad that uses toxic chemicals in its chips and batteries and that a child will get bored with rather quickly. I've still got every Lego Brick that I've ever bought or received; I can't say that about any of my other toys.

And if you have bricks you don't want and are wondering if they are recycleable, I'll take them off your hands and determine if they are or not ;-)

Now that I think about it...

Using petroleum in the base production of LEGOs creates less "harmful carbon" then using it for fuel. The ratio of oil used to plastic produced is 2 to 1 for raw materials and production...so some of that oil is sort of trapped within the chemical structure of the brick and won't be released unless burned, (Remember that you people who like to burn Megabloks :-P ) as opposed to fuel oil of which 100% is burned.

ABS is also recyclable

is everyone turning into That moronic hippy al gore?!

As usual, I will declare my belief that the need to save the environment from Al Gore's scam to make you pay money for useless 'carbon credits' is total balderdash. Absolute poppycock. Complete hogwash.

OK, enough anti-global warming ranting and chiefly British 'cursing'. :-P

Oh, btw, maig the liar is completely right in his naming of Gore. :-D

I concur with Brickmaster, perhaps you're fed up with the man, (and I have questions about global warming too as well as questions about the sceptics of the theory) but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a point. Regardless, whether global warming is real or not (I'm leaving that precarious debate out of the matter here) it wouldn't hurt if we stopped polluting all as much and started being a bit more eco-friendly. Whether for your kids, health, the planet or whatever I think we will all benefit from a bit less using the car and a bit more our feet or a bike.

Well, the boxes aren't as much of a problem. I have a whole stack of broken-down LEGO boxes in my garage that I'll take to work and put into our cardboard recycling dumpster. If anything about LEGO is wasteful it's the baggies the parts come in...but, again, compared to packaging on other toys, the small amount of plastic in those bags is virtually nothing. And there are no evil, evil twist-ties either >:-(

I think what gets me is the "Earth-guilt". When you can't enjoy anything in life (especially LEGOs!) without having to feel bad about how that activity harms the environment, then man's technological advancement from smacking each other with sticks means nothing. I'm personally not worried. When Mother Nature finally gets fed up she'll shake us off like a bad case of fleas and the biosphere will totally renew itself in a millennium or two, a virtual eyeblink of geologic time. For all we've supposedly done to hurt the environment, it still pales in comparison to what one medium-sized stray asteroid could do...and has done.

But, again, that's debating the broader concept and not LEGO...not the battle I wanna wage

I doubt Earth has a central consciousness that would think in such a manner. I believe animals to be capable of more than what we give them credit for but let's not go over the top by claiming all of nature, all of the disasters caused by Earthquakes, wind, the ocean etc. are caused and directed by a governing intelligence. Nature might have the ability to kill humans but IMHO that is rather because we live all over the planet, and as such a lot of us also live in danger zones, than that it is because nature *wants* us dead.

If it comes down to the planet or my collection of ABS plastic bricks; I choose my bricks :-D .

Later.

I'm sorry but such a statement screams for a reply. I've heard people say the same thing about their way of life, in their house with a car and electrical equipment etc. But when it comes to the crunch, I'd much rather choose Earth over all that since Earth can sustain me and luxury can not. I'm much happier living like a cave-man (which doesn't even need to happen since we CAN maintain a large part of our life-style and remain eco-friendly) than being a rich person with all the luxury in the world but without a world to live on. In other words: we'd be dead.

I'm surprised that barely anybody has brought up the production process of Lego. I recently heard from somebody working in a chemical company that an eco-friendly shopping bag does more harm to the environment than a normal one since so much more materials and energy is used in the production of one.

I am not sure about ABS but I know soda bottles are recycled to make great sweaters that keep you nice and warm. I have some of them and can't complain.

Eco-friendliness is about more than a car and recycling. It's about our entire way of life. The shampoo you use goes down the drain, as well as paint etc. It all ends up in the environment. It's the little things (which we try not to think about on the grounds of it not making such a difference) that DO make the big difference. Like using soap instead of bath gel which is less harmful to the rivers we dump our water in. That being said, I am no more better than anybody else, I try to watch out but I consume too much as the rest of the Western population.

In the fight against global warming, more pressing issues such as the use of a complete 'laissez-faire' market in conjuction with an ever rising population are completely overlooked. I am not so much worried about cars as I am about fisheries and the dying out of species at an astonishing rate.

Hippy or no (and I am NOT a hippy, I even regard it as an insult) taking care of our planet comes before anything else, not so much because it's a choice but because it's a NECESSITY. Without something to live on and sustain us we're dead, and to me, that ain't much of a choice.

PS: I say this with the utmost respect ;-)

Edited April 3, 200816 yr by Hairy Ruben

is everyone turning into That moronic hippy al gore?!

Wow. Thank you for contributing to the conversation with your insightful commentary. *wacko*

Anyway, it's been interesting reading everyone's replies. I certainly had no intent of turning this into a debate about global warming, and I'm glad we've managed to mostly steer clear of that hot-button topic. I was coming at the question more from the perspective of a consumer, and how do you impact environmental change with your wallet. Hairy Ruben had a terrific post about that.

Using petroleum in the base production of LEGOs creates less "harmful carbon" then using it for fuel. The ratio of oil used to plastic produced is 2 to 1 for raw materials and production...so some of that oil is sort of trapped within the chemical structure of the brick and won't be released unless burned, (Remember that you people who like to burn Megabloks ) as opposed to fuel oil of which 100% is burned.

ABS is also recyclable

Thanks for the info, Deinonychus. I didn't know any of that. That's good stuff to know.

I may not agree with Al's thoughts on global warming's causes, but he's by no means a moron

And again, I am no hippy, but I am all for using earth's limited resources conservatively. Not because it harms the environment dramatically, but eventually we will run out. I don't think CO2 causes global warming (Let's not get into this topic and argue..) but I think we should still conserve gas, because yes, it is limited.

The more we save the merrier. And just, if you can, why not save? It's just irresponsible not to, it would seem. But many are so much more wasteful than they need to be, I am, by no means, some sort of activist. But I use common sense. Lights off if I'm not in the room. Fuel efficient cars (if not for the resources, it's for your wallet). And recycle, just because it's not hard.

Etc. Etc. It's just bad to waste.

Brickmaster -- you may not agree with Al Gore ... but you just made EXACTLY the same point that Gore makes in his documentary. There are lots of solid political, scientific, and economic reasons to be environmentally conscious, but all of those are secondary to the MORAL reason. It's simply the right thing to do.

Anyway, it's been interesting reading everyone's replies. I certainly had no intent of turning this into a debate about global warming, and I'm glad we've managed to mostly steer clear of that hot-button topic. I was coming at the question more from the perspective of a consumer, and how do you impact environmental change with your wallet. Hairy Ruben had a terrific post about that.

Haha, I tend to get carried away since I feel it's not only hypocrite but outrageous to hear politicians and adults going on and on about responsibility while destroying, neglecting and/or ignoring the very world we and future generations (our kids, mind you) depend on.

In the end, I feel the argument that will convince people to go green is because it's better for the wallet. not because your kids will suffer, not because we are bothered by morale, not because we feel we must but because it serves our greed.

An example: I saw a documentary of a German chemist and an American architect being hired by companies on the edge of bankrupcy. They help them make profit by going green. In a few years after their visit, an establishment of the Ford motor company (which was very sceptical of all this "green hippy talk") saved many millions.

- The water purification after production was now the responsibilty of plants instead of machines.

- Heating and lighting were now done through huge panels by the sun

- A green zone was laid out next to the factory

- Production went up due to increased morale

This is just a small example and it leaves us to wonder. I feel it's disgraceful it needs to come this far before we do something, that we actually need to get a buck out of it before we act, but seeing how far it's come I'm just glad we act at all, regardless the motives.

Anyway, I'll shut up now, I believe I've said enough and I believe I've said what I needed to. *pirate*

(PS: Al Gore's movie makes people overlook environmental problems far worse than global warming, if that even exists, is and that'w hat worries me.)

Edited April 3, 200816 yr by Hairy Ruben

Some folks think "I won't be here in another 50 years and I have no kids, so screw it!" Others may be working 18 hr days on 2 different jobs to make enough for food, shelter, power, and fuel for the car to think they can even bother (not that its a bother, but some folks are like that...) with recycling.

I hope Lego utilizes less cardboard and plastic bags in future products, while still releasing a quality toy. Don't know if they've already started doing this or if they plan to down the line, but I could use a little less air within my product box - they aren't potato chips!! *sweet*

I think the bottom line is - We all need to do everything (whatever that may be...) we can to help the earth, waterways, soil, air quality etc.

... shampoo you use goes down the drain, as well as paint etc.

You put paint down the drain? Sorry I've just never heard of this before, I tend to keep mine in jars for touching up and so on.

About ABS I believe, well I was told by a engineering student that the future held ABS style plastic made of starch from potatoes, I asked a chemistry student friend and seem said it was possible. So the future may be safe and home grown. Generally to me it seems that Lego’s damage to the earth per use must be very low so that should be alright, and that compared with some of the products that arrive at my work pace the packaging is nonexistent so I’m fairly happy with Lego’s credential myself.

You put paint down the drain? Sorry I've just never heard of this before, I tend to keep mine in jars for touching up and so on.

Eh, no, it's volatile material. I just now for a fact, and that's why I mentioned it, that others DO after a hard day of painting the garage or some other part of the home.